My First Trip to Cape Town

I have just recently returned from my first trip to Cape Town, South Africa, where the orientation for Rotary Scholars in Southern Africa was held.  All of the Jo'burg scholars left early on Friday morning to catch our flight, (and when I say early, I mean that our shuttle bus picked us up at 4:15am).  We had to fly to Cape Town because it takes about 14 hours to drive there.  Cape Town is situated on the southwest edge of the country, while Johannesburg is located in the northeast.  When we arrived at our destination, a shuttle bus took us to the backpacker's (a backpacker's is the equivalent of a hostel) where all the other scholars were staying.  We spent a bit of time introducing ourselves and eating breakfast before heading out on our first excursion of the weekend.  

Once everyone had arrived (about 30 total), we all piled into vans and drove to one of Cape Town's townships.  In South Africa, a township is a place where the poorest people live.  There are miles and miles of shacks made of aluminum or cardboard, and whole families live in a space that is smaller than my bedroom.  Going into the townships, or simply driving past, quickly reminds me that I am living in Africa.  It's easy to forget if you only allow yourself to go to the beautiful, up-market locations.  But there are millions of people living in South Africa that are in the depths of poverty, hardship, and illness.  The group of us stopped into one of the township elementary schools, which is supported in part by Rotary.  The children put together a program to show us their talent and hard work; there were band performances, traditional dances, and even a short drama piece.  I love watching children perform the arts.  It's just so adorable and priceless.  After the students were finished, we stayed around for a bit to play with them and look around the school facilities.  I wish we could have had more time to spend getting to know the kids, but the time that we did have was lovely.  Lovely and heartbreaking all at once.

Upon leaving the township, we drove to one of the municipal buildings in Cape Town to meet the deputy mayor, who had compiled a presentation about the city.  His speech was followed by a question/answer session, and then we all moved into the foyer where they had put together a spread of delightful snacks.  From there, we drove back to the backpacker's to change our clothes for hiking.

Instead of hiking Table Mountain, the mountain for which Cape Town is known, we tackled Lion's Head Mountain.  It was such a wonderful idea to climb Lion's Head, if only for the breathtaking views it provided.  From that elevation, Cape Town looked so perfect.  About halfway up the mountain, the group of us stopped to have "sundowners" in a cave.  This is a South African term used to refer to the time of day they stop to have drinks, eat snacks, and relax.  They do this at sunset, hence the name sundowners.  If you ask me, I think Americans should take a tip from the South Africans and institute sundowners into our routine.  

When we made it back down the mountain, there was a man there with dozens of drums and sticks.  We sat in a semi-circle and learned how to play some of the African rhythms together.  The teacher was energetic and determined to get everyone involved to the fullest.  It was extremely enjoyable.  Post drumming, we loaded up the vans and headed to Trevor's house (the orientation coordinator), where his wife had prepared a meal.  We ate some curry dishes with rice and salad, which was very delicious.  (South Africans cook a large amount of dishes with curry.  I believe this is due to their large Indian population.)  Dessert followed, of course.  Not too long after we decided to head home, exhausted and thrilled with our experiences. 

Saturday we got up early and headed to the Royal Yacht Club of Cape Town, where we were scheduled to have the actual orientation portion of the trip.  It was really difficult to stay indoors on such a perfect day, especially with the ocean right out the window.  But the program was filled with wonderful, interesting speakers, and we were able to take our meals on the porch, which made it a bit easier.  The orientation invited a wide variety of speakers, including representatives from certain charities, an employee of the national parks, former Rotary scholars, and the list continues.  

After the orientation concluded, we went to a community carnival that benefited The Community Chest, a sort of fund used for various community/charity projects around the greater Cape Town area.  The Rotary Clubs of Cape Town started this carnival years ago, and today it is widespread and funded and facilitated by other organizations in conjunction with Rotary.  Rotary had a few tents at the carnival, where they were selling calamari and chips (fries).  We were able to lend a hand in the tents and then mill around the carnival.  It was interesting, being at a carnival in South Africa.  Surrounded by cotton candy, fried food, and ticket booths, it felt like I could have been anywhere in the United States.  I think I ate Chinese food, a doughnut, ice cream, a potato pancake, and a bit of calamari.  Impressive, I know.

The next day, we were able to sleep in a little longer before beginning our final day of adventures.  We drove to a marina for a morning of dragon boat racing.  Dragon boat racing is a traditional Chinese sport which is thousands of years old, but it seems as though South Africans are rather keen on it, as well.  Dragon boats look kind of like long canoes, but they are painted with dragon scales and have a dragon head and tail.  Perhaps the most interesting addition is that one person sits on a stool on the front bow and beats a drum, the rhythm of which everyone is supposed to follow.  We split up into two groups, listened to a quick briefing on technique, and began practicing.  It took a few minutes to get the hang of the rhythm and row together properly, but before long we were ready to race.  I would like to let everyone know that my team won all three races by at least a full boat length.  It was, to say the least, an exhilarating start to the day.

After the races were over, we headed to South Africa's only pediatric hospital, which is just outside of Cape Town.  We toured the facilities and listened to some of the doctors tell us about their specific area of the hospital.  Some of us were able to play with some children for a bit, and at the end we gave them all a small toy.  I do wish we could have spent more time there interacting with the children, but one can only do so much in a day.  It was interesting to see how different hospitals are here than in the United States.  There are so many things that they need, that they just don't have here.    

When our time at the hospital was over, we drove to the botanical gardens in Cape Town for a picnic lunch and a concert.  The gardens were absolutely stunning, and they were just below the mountains.  I can't imagine a better place to picnic.  It was nice to take a break from all the busyness and simply enjoy our surroundings for a bit.  The concert, which featured a popular South African group, started in the evening.  Hundreds of people showed up to dance and sing the night away in the gardens.  It was a very pleasant time.  

The concert was the official end to the scheduled orientation, so we were free to do whatever we pleased until our planes left Monday morning.  A group of us went to dinner at a restaurant on the harbor.  We had a leisurely time eating together, and by the end we were exhausted.  In the morning we came back to Jo'burg, ready to return to our daily routine.  We all enjoy our big, diverse city, but it sure was refreshing to take a quick leave of absence.  And what better place than Cape Town!