Another week…

A Saturday morning at Biscuit Mill

Saturday morning we made our way to a place called the Biscuit Mill. Inside this brick building is a maze of tents and courtyards full of delicious food from around the world, plenty of free samples, jewelry, clothing, and other crafts. We stuffed ourselves with the yummy food and browsed around a bit before having to head home so that some of us could go on a township tour in Guguletu.

Seeing the government housing being built in the townships

This township tour was nothing like the township tours we had had explained to us when we first got here though—We did not feed the kids oranges and chocolate from the relative safety of our tour van, nor did we gawk at the shacks and general way of life. We were, in fact, led by a housemate’s coworker through the streets of Guguletu. Izzy, our guide, was involved in the death of Amy Biehl, a young girl doing research in Cape Town who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the townships. He showed us where the violence started, where it ended, and the cross beside the road, all while recounting the story to us as if he was never there. He told us all about the unrest in the townships at that time, how many young men were part of violent groups that implemented what they called “One settler, one bullet.” Once this first part of the trip was completed Izzy led us on a walk through the streets.

The kids didn't want to see us go

Entrepreneur- the lady selling bags made out of plastic bags

Not long after we had left the van we had an entourage of children holding our hands, fighting for their places in pictures, and telling us their names. We also met a very creative lady who makes bags and hats out of old plastic bags from grocery stores. We then headed in another direction to meet some of Izzy’s family. We met some of his cousins, one of his brothers, and his grandmother. His cousins accompanied us to a shabeen, what they call a bar in the townships. These shabeens are generally run out of someone’s house, and it is customary that drinks are bought as a group and poured into glasses, as opposed to each person having their own bottle. We chatted with Izzy’s cousins and met some other members in the community.

Inside a shabeen

Mzolis food being prepared

We did not stay there long because we had ordered our food at Mzoli’s and had to go grab a table so we could eat. Mzoli’s is rather famous here in Cape Town. Here’s how it works: You order a random assortment of raw meat. This meat is then cooked in a special sauce and brought to your table (which you are undoubtedly sharing with strangers since it is so packed) along with a sort of salsa and mealie (kind of like grits, but not runny). You then proceed to messily tear off pieces of meat, dipping it in the salsa and grabbing some mealie without the use of utensils. We met a couple of nice guys who were sitting at our table and danced with them around our table. There is plenty of loud music playing at Mzoli’s, but no dance floor, so everyone simply stood behind their chair and swayed and bounced a little bit. After Mzoli’s we headed to another shabeen, this one much smaller than the first, and sat in the sitting room of someone’s home and listened to more of Izzy’s stories. Before long we were all exhausted from the days events, even though by this time is was only about 7 pm, so we headed home, thanking Izzy for spoiling us with 6 hours of his time. While some of us were in the townships, the rest of the group watched the Lions and Springboks play some Rugby from a bar on Longstreet.

Robben Island

Nelson Mandela's cell at Robben Island

Sunday a group of us went to Robben Island despite the miserable weather. The ferry ride was a bit longer than expected and left us a bit chilly. On Robben Island we got a bus tour of the whole place with a tour guide pointing out the various buildings, the overabundance of rabbits, and the tiny penguins hiding in the bushes. After the bus tour we were led through one of the prisons by a ex political prisoner who showed us the cell he lived in along with about 60 other people.

He then showed us Nelson Mandela’s cell. He had a private cell because he was a high security prisoner. He explained to us how they used the tennis court in the courtyard not so much for exercise or for the love of the game, but rather to send notes to other areas of the prison. They would do this by putting a note in the tennis ball and whacking it over to another section. The note would be read, and a response would come back later. We decided to sit in the covered section of the ferry on the way back so as to avoid the wind. Back on the waterfront some of us went home while others stayed to have a tasty meal. There was music on the sidewalks, cute craft shops, and a nice view, although it was already quite dark by the time we got back.

Russell and Alex at the rugby game

We also were able to go to a rugby game this week at a stadium right near where we work. The Emerging Springboks (the up and coming of South Africa’s national team) played the British and Irish Lions, in what everyone thought would be a blow out. For most of us, it was our first time watching rugby, but Russell was able to explain the game and answer all questions. It was an exciting environment and very different from American sports (we were in standing room only seats, the cheapest ones, in the front row), and the Boks were able to end the game in a tie during the very last play.

This week we all had to work hard on making worksheets for winter school. Russell is in charge of Life Science and has to teach about DNA, genetics, and reproduction. He should have plenty of fun with that. Alex worked on Economics worksheets and Ainslie and Hannah worked on Accounting worksheets. It has been a challenge for all of us to put these worksheets together. We have realized that the Grade 12 students have to learn so much information from so many different subject areas to take their Matric Exams.

Mass with Desmond Tutu!

This Friday Russell and Alex went to see Desmond Tutu at a mass downtown and had breakfast with him afterwards with only about 15 other people. They came back raving about the experience and made the rest of us regret not waking up extra early to go with them.

One of our students presenting his product

We also taught our fifth large group lesson. We proposed the business idea we thought would work well as an example—a community garden in a township. They seemed to like this idea, especially since a couple of them are the ones that came up with the general idea in the first place. We talked to them about doing a feasibility study/market survey. We told them the questions we had come up with and gave them their homework assignment to ask a couple people in their community to fill out the forms for us. Alex made a powerpoint about the general sections of a business plan, but it didn’t work out with the resources we were given, so he just explained it to them. Then we made a list of supplies that would be needed to start up our garden business. They came up with an extensive list that they will get to use later on to figure out exact prices for the budgeting part of the business plan. We also set goals to clarify our vision for the business in the long term and to look at finances realistically in the short term. We then managed to get the projector to show them a cool movie clip about innovation. After that we put their imaginations to work. They had to make a product out of a random assortment of goodies such as Styrofoam cups, plastic party leis, newspaper, tape, bottles, and markers. They then had to present their product to the class. They came up with some very interesting products such as a wine bottle that has a cup on top so you can just pour yourself a glass whenever you so choose, a flower that acts as an air freshener and helps fight global warming, and a tray for children that is unbreakable. This weekend we plan to go to the Biscuit Mill again, and we may get the chance to hike or walk along the beach if the weather forecast for Sunday is accurate.

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