Leftovers

So I did not do my usual routine of writing before bed last night to post this morning when the internet and I became reunited again. Probably because we got back at 8pm (sounds early? is in fact the latest I've been out in 4 nights) and I went directly to bed. So no HUGE events to share about the past 36 hours, besides my first run-in with food poisoning/ the worst 24 hour stomach virus of my life. But its over now and I am eating toast for the rest of my time here so thats great!!!!
Last night we went to the Steve Biko memorial lecture at UCT. My first time really on UCT campus and its gorgeous- like sort of like a Ivy, but less kept up. But with beautiful views of Cape Town cause its up on a hill and has the most amazing staircase that i just want to spend hours on.
Basically I have labeled this post leftovers, cause its just a big soup pot of all my different extra thoughts of the past week- and can you believe its only been less than 2 weeks?? Thats crazy! It feels like I live here. We are finally settling into a daily routine. Waking up at 640 everyday, bus at 7, class at 930- chose, my biggest enemy- and then a day chock full of plans and classes and short breaks, until our bus takes us home. Not having control over my schedule has definitely been an adjustment, especially coming from 2 years of college where its just like- live in this bubble, make a schedule and figure the rest out for yourself! This is the opposite of that, its like camp meets high school meets Cape Town and potential crime and being the minority and being this place at this time or else red alarm! But its incredible and I wouldn't really change anything, I just need to get used to listening to plans and being places at the correct time and not being able to do what I want in the contraints of my limited free time. It is a bit of sacrifice, for tons of reward- because I got to get a 70 year old xhosa women juice last night before bed in an all black township, 20 minutes from downtown Cape Town and I never would have been able to do that had I not gotten on the bus back to Langa or woken up with the sun to get to class.
Oh! Also! I keep forgetting to share with you the craziest thing that I never even thought about! My sisi, Lindathi who is 6, is OBSESSED with my hair. I know I am Brenna, Queen of Exaggerating- but I'm not kidding I think she could spend 3 hours a day just playing with it. The other night she brushed it into a birds nest pulp and gave me a half up, half down do with my "bangs" completely covering my eyes and asked me to wear it like that to school tomorrow. Then the next day I had just come out of the shower and it was obviously wet and she asked to brush it again. She was beside herself with it. She was like "But its so dark? and straight? Yesterday it was light and curly!" and I told her that that happens everytime I wash it and it gets wet. She also did not understand if it was going to dry- she asked if it will be dry by the time I leave South Africa...in December....
Oh the things you never think about when meeting new cultures. Anyway this has just inspired me to want to know everything about the hair culture here so stay tuned...

Oh how abroad changes you!
Now off to enjoy a rainy day in downtown Cape Town. We are going to District 6, the only undeveloped neighborhood of downtown and then have the afternoon to explore a little bit!!! And there is a food market thats only on Thursday that I can go to today! AHHHHH!! WAIT FOR THAT POST TOMORROW BAYBAY!!

sobanana (see ya lata in xhosa- my favorite and only word I have memorized)

Is this real life or is it just fantasy

Because it’s easy come, easy go. Little high, little low. Anywhere the wind goes doesn’t really matter- no I promise I’ll stop.

Imagine if I just typed out all the lyrics as a blog post. Wouldn’t that just be hilarious!            An idea for later….

Ok well for all of you out there awaiting a phone call, I promise it is on its way soon. I have just been too lazy to go to the store and buy more minutes for my cell c.

But back to this blog post topic. I just don’t really get if this is school or learning via life (my dream). I feel like it is kind of both and that’s the point of this whole thing, but I don’t get where the line is and I’m constantly just repeating this same shpeel because I don’t want to believe that we actually have homework and not fun stuff to do on this dream vacation/ experience/ “study” abroad. As the queen of excuses, I have convinced myself that there is no point to learning xhosa and have dedicated class time to this blog and….well…this blog. Even though Nozuko, my host mom, is determined to have me be best in the class and does my homework for me and tells me the teacher is stupid and all wrong. So that’s super helpful!

As far as my favorite subject reading is concerned, we have a book review due in a few weeks that should be manageable. Its just gonna be hard to get home and tell Lindathi that I can’t play or color cause I have to read and do homework. Like I can read a book whenever, I have 3 weeks to spend time with her. So these are my current frustrations with the SIT syllabus, don’t worry there will be more in the future so check that out if that’s your thing! ;) Mom and Dad, I know you miss my constant complaining so YOU’RE WELCOME!

first xhosa quiz today...oyy vey

The Carpenter

Oh the little things you never think about when going abroad. Like settling for a new shampoo flavor. Not having twizzler pull and peals and NOT BEING ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE NEW AVETT BROTHERS CD DUE TO SLOW, LIMITED INTERNET. Everyone on the program does not need to read this considering you experienced first hand my struggles with the capped internet and slow downloads. Sorry I used up all the internet for the month and slowed down everyone’s facebook albums.

But!

It was well worth it cause hot damn they have done it again. The boys you thought could not get better just did, its everything I could want and more. There is the slow, sultry songs, the head banging ones and everything in between. Seth and Scott you should know (if you’re somewhere out there answering my prayers and reading this) that the Carpenter will be the soundtrack to my semester in Cape Town and I will never forget the amount of focus and dedication it took to make sure that album was on my, and my two other fellow fans, computers with 800 MB of internet and 23 macs using it at once.

What an experience it was.

As far as the music critic within me's thoughts, I don't know if its just cause I knew them but Down With the Shine and Once and Future Carpenter are my favs. Pretty Girl from Michigan and I never Knew you are close seconds, with the soul and that head banging killer that you find on every album. A Fathers First Spring and February Seven are also beautiful and will quickly become my go to relaxing songs. In terms of negatives- I just don't get Paul Newman Vs. The Demons. While yes the whole album is more rock and I get where there going with it, its just too punky and Sum 41 for me. Winter in my Heart is another that I did not fall immediately for. Its good and slow and I get its place on the album, I just won't crave it like the others. 

But all in all they really can do no wrong by me.

Love you forever and always. Thank god for cheddar cheese, maple syrup and the Avett Brothers.

Thinking of you 212

every year on September 11th, it is a struggle for me to accept not being home. Not being with my fellow New Yorkers. Not going to my local firehouse with my family as I did for every year until college. Not having everyone around you feel the same gravity of the day. Here in Cape Town, I am sad to say it is just another day- although it is only 2pm, there has not been one mention of the day I will never forget and remember as if it was yesterday. I'm so used to people asking me the events of that day for me and my family and my experience, that it is uncomfortably quiet for me today. It was 11 years ago to the hour that the fateful events of 9.11.2001 occured and the lives of New Yorkers, Americans and those living in the hopes that terrorism and comprable awfulness didn't exist awakened. 

Today I think of those who woke up on that Tuesday and had their lives unexpectadely changed forever. It is a reminder that anything can happen at any moment and to live every moment to the fullest. I love New York and have tremendous respect for everyone who lost a loved one or even just someone they knew on that day. It would be impossible to forget September 11th and I hope the world feels the same.

On another note this a shameless plug that today the 6th Avett Brothers studio album was released called The Carpenter and it is amazing. It is exciting and comforting to have new songs from my favorite band on earth to love and enjoy. and if Brett could fix the f***ing iTunes account I could enjoy it on the go, but in the meantime it is just me and the NPR website rocking out at Lyra's cafe and wifi hotspot here in Rondebosch, South Africa. Long live the Avett Brothers and the inspirational, honest, perfect and life-changing music they produce. 

Lion's Head is ma bitch

Now that I have gotten back to reality- for the next 12 hours- I can explain to you in normal Brenna fashion my experience hiking Lion's Head mountain at 7:30 am Saturday morning- AT 7:30 AM SATURDAY MORNING! Yes I had 4 hours sleep. Yes I was the most nauseous I've ever been. and yes I have never really hiked a mountain. So bright-eyed and bushy tailed I threw on what I guessed would be hiking appropriate clothing, downed an awful, cold muffin and filed into the van to the mountain. Was dropped off at the base and just got thrown in to the long, neverending, red, rocky, dirt path. After quickly- yet slowly- falling behind the group I began my hike, at my pace, with my music and my thoughts. Just a little well needed alone time on a giant mountain- ya know? So after rock climbing, meeting new friends and running into the slow crew from my group I finally made it to the top. Here's the thing it honestly was not bad- just everyone was moving too fast and I wanted to stop take some pics, not have a heart attack and do my thing. The view from the top, and the whole way up because you just keep going in large circles and getting 360 views, was incredible...like indescribable. Heres some pics of the group at the top, me taking on the top like its no ones buisnessss and the challenging walk down, potentially harder than the way up. Hope you enjoyed this short stint of outdoorsy Brenna cause she is on the way out! 

Nozuko

so last night I finally got to really meet my host mom and she is.....PERFECT! Like could not have asked for better. The first thing she did was ask me about my family and life and everything and we just talked for hours. Her two favorite things in the world are……wait for it……food and shoes!!!! I mean come on. This is honestly ridiculous, I have met my South African twin- except the fact that she is 30 and pregnant, we are basically the same. We could just talk for hours and immediately she asked me about my family, home and what I love to eat. I see a fast and long friendship forming in the near future. I am so happy right now I can barely go to sleep- I will now go to school, wanting to come home to hang out more with her. Fuck my social life, im in family mode now!

Experiencing Experimental Living: 36 hours into Langa Homestay

What a day.

So I’m over 24 hours deep into my homestay (planning on posting this tomorrow when I get internet). Yesterday I arrived at 3pm, and although I had no been a bit nervous or anxious before arriving, as soon as we entered the township and stopped talking about how our ridiculous last night of drunken freedom in Cape Town for a while, the car became filled with anxiousness. I was literally shaking, freaking out, biting my hand for relief as I realized I had not thought about what I was about to walk into and had no clue what to expect. We are staying in Langa township for the next three weeks and all that I knew about it here before yesterday was a women on the mountain (oh yeah I hiked Lion’s Head yesterday morning, funny how I’ve completely forgotten about the most physical challenge of my life after being here for 24 hours) telling me when I told her where we were doing our first homestay “Langa? Oh no sweetie, you must be wrong, we (as in white people) don’t go there”. I proceeded to explain to her that we were living with families and it was through a program and I’m sure fine, still confused she asked “Oh but you’re not sleeping there? Right?” I told her we were and left her with her shock behind me on the mountain. Many others on the program have had experiences like this with members of the Cape Town community. Although apartheid as a political structure is no longer in existence, socially it is still palpable.

So I arrived yesterday afternoon to my new home, which is beautiful, comparable to my apartment and I have my own room with a double bed and futon! My room is adjacent to the bathroom and steps from the kitchen; grandma is next door to me and then the living room. Nozuko, my mom, has her own room in a separate house steps from my front door and then her brother and his girlfriend and daughter, Lindithe, have their own mini-flat as well. We are all inside the same gate though. Last night, after grandma and I chatted for a little and she shared how happy she was that I was not a vegetarian, cause the last girl was a pain and lazy apparently, so by eating chicken apparently I’m already beating her (yes!). In the afternoon Lindithe and me went next door to where Gaby is staying to visit our friends. Gaby’s homestay is literally a b and b/ pre-school, with kids always coming in and out. Her mother is very old and worked as an HIV/AIDS nurse for her whole life and in my thirty minutes there told me countless stories of victims of the disease and a little insight as to why it has spread so far. Apparently Mandela put in a law in the 90’s that you either did not have to or made it taboo to share if you were infected, and therefore children were born with it or blood transfusions were done and the disease spread. The amount of death this woman has experienced is just unreal. And she talks about it so casually; it just is almost too huge to believe. I returned to my and went with Lindithe and her mom, Lindiwe, to a fruit stand a.k.a supermarkette and Lindiwe made roasted chicken and salad for dinner- delicious. Then Lindithe and I colored with my new pencils for a little while and 8:30 rolled in and I was fast asleep. Fast forward 12 and half hours later and I woke up. An INCREDIBLE night sleep and one I could not have needed more considering 12 hours is what I got total at our 4 nights in the amazing Cape Town hostel.

Oatmeal for breakfast, delicious again (I was quite nervous about the food situation and my pickiness so I am really just thrilled at every meal that I can ingest and enjoy). Although it was raining and freezingggg, we left for church at 10. Now if you’re getting bored reading this is not the place to sleep, because my five- yes five- hours at church today was indescribable. Literally I have been thinking about all day how I am going to articulate my experience and I am just speechless. I can explain to you the events, but the feeling of being there, listening to the songs, watching the dancing and members interact is not able to be put into words. After arriving and being stared at by everyone, as I was the only white person in the church, and greeting many members and friends of grandma’s, the service began. About an hour into the chosa readings and songs, a man came over to my seat in the middle of the service and asked not to be offended, but if I was from South Africa or somewhere else, I told him I was from America. He returned to the right side, where all the men sit, to the first row, talked to someone and then returned to me, asking me to come with him as the Reverend had requested I sit next to him. All the ladies around me ooh and ahhed and so I went. The Reverend is the first speechless portion of this experience, one of the nicest, most honest men I have ever met. He asked me what I was doing here, for how long I was in Langa, when I arrived, when I would be in South Africa until and with whom I was living in Langa. He explained to me how much they love having visitors and how by being at this service I was getting a true African experience- as today was a holiday and all the women were dressed in traditional chosa garb and a meal was served, with is not a weekly thing as I had thought. He explained that, although when they asked the visitors to stand up a bit later, he did pick me out because it is rare to see someone with light complexion in this church. He also made some sort of comment regarding how much more welcoming black people in South Africa are to other cultures, which could definitely be true, I was just taken back by how straight up he said it. I sat with him and the other male leaders in the front row for the rest of the service and he translated most of it for me. They were working on fundraising for renovation the building, built in the 40’s with fold up chairs and few decorations- this was no stained glass windows, velvet seats situation. Just a large blank room with a podium, chairs and colorfully dressed women and men with huge hearts, tons of spirit and faith in god. He also got up towards the end of the service and welcomed me in front of the whole congregation, probably 100ish people, and thanked me for experiencing and being a part of a real African tradition. He was so honored to have me there, when I was more honored for them welcoming me into their traditions and weekly ritual. After sitting again, they began bringing in barrels of liquid, which he told me was African Beer and had I ever had it. I said no and they all chuckled and said “ok, you must try it when you sit back with the ladies”. All the men then sat in circle on the floor in the front of all the chairs by the podium in the front, passing around these, essentially, empty paint barrels with creamy, purplish-coffee colored foamy liquid inside and chugging straight from them. Then one barrel was brought to the front of the rows filled with women and began being passed down. But honestly the men each chugged this stuff for like 1-2 minutes before passing to the next man. The women would take more like large sips. Then it got to me and although I was not nervous about trying it, cause it honestly looked like a chocolate egg cream, as soon as I lifted the barrel to my face and smelt the sour milk stench I took in maybe a tablespoon before passing it. It was nothing like a chocolate anything and when I told everyone I thought it would be sweet they laughed. It was so sour and bubbly and kinda beer like in the wheaty taste, but not enjoyable at all. I then viewed the men chugging with tons more respect. Next they began passing around the BEST BREAD I HAVE EVER HAD- I know, all I do is exaggerate- I kid you not it was perfect. Crusty, warm and sticky inside, sweet and salty and just absolute perfection. I was served before anyone else, but then continued to be offered them and had around 3, but honestly could have eaten them all day. Next me and Julia, another visitor, were taken to the back house, where we were put in the dining room and brought the meal. This was the low point for the day- it was my first encounter with the food here that I just could not even smell, let alone swallow. It was a large plate full of pap, this corn/ potato mixture that is kinda like mashed potatoes and corn mixed together, but very bland. They serve it with everything, and it either comes chunky or creamy- this was chunky with whole pieces of corn. It was topped with a greenish-brown colored oily textured gravy and boiled meat on the side. I tried to pick at the pap not touched by gravy but it was so bland and sticky I couldn’t eat more than maybe half a cup- which I divvied into about 50 bites so it looked like I was eating. I was humiliated, fortunately it was just me and Julia and no one else. But I tried to touch the meat, which was I believe a piece of liver or heart and lung or something that looked like a shriveled up piece or coral, but was grey and tough. I eventually got the guts up to put a piece of the heart like meat with lots of pap surrounding it into my mouth and immediately gagged. I just couldn’t stand the flavor and as soon as I bit into the meat, which was much like creamy jello, I thought I was gonna puke. I then just tried to swallow it all in as few gulps as possible. It was pretty awful and Julia noticed I wasn’t eating it and asked if I ate meat, to which I responded not a lot and so she took the rest of mine which was AMAZING! So it could have gone worse but was definitely a lesson and still kind of traumatizing. Then the reverend came and got us and brought us back to the church where everyone was just cleaning their plates of this meal and we finished the service and collecting donations. They surpassed their goal.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I would love to go again next week. It would have been nicer in English but I loved listening to everyone sing and watch them dance around the two aisles.

We then came home to Lindiwe watching TV- that movie Please Give with Catherine Keene and Lake Bell was on which I have wanted to see forever and it set on the Upper West!- and ate dinner- grandma and Lindithe hated the food at church also! They said its gross and you just have to eat it to be nice, I was so relieved. We had chicken and rice for dinner, delicious again and a great banana. Me and Lindithe then went to the shop across the street for milk and ran into Olivia and her sister Tina- I was so overjoyed to see her, literally we just squeezed each other. Tina was there buying electricity for their house- ??? Then came home to watch Idols SA, which was Rolling Stones top 500 night and drank delicious tea. I don’t know why but I am just so surprised how similar and simple the day was. I never expected to just have so much in common with them, but like on a cold, rainy Sunday at home I would lie on the couch and watch TV and drink tea until bedtime too. Right now I am basically a 9/10 in terms of happiness in my homestay. Everything really has been great, no negatives besides just being kind of uncomfortable to know what I can do in terms of getting food for myself, if I can leave my toothbrush in the bathroom and what to do all day. This entire experience is just very overwhelming, because it is just so incredibly different from anything I have ever done or seen, but I think I might just be expecting too much craziness and this is just like any other house- the parents work, kids go to school, we eat dinner and go to bed. The 1/10 that is missing is for discussion and connecting- no one has asked me anything about myself, hometown, family, interests, anything. Lindithe and I looked through some pictures on my computer tonight and listened to some Katy Perry- that was until she found Rachel Zoe in my TV shows and insisted on watching, she didn’t like it, but we’ll just ignore that for now. I can see it being a challenge of having homework or wanting alone time and having her always being so adorable and wanting to hang out. But that’s really everything for now. It is already had such an impact on me and it has only been a day. Although I don’t agree with the woman on the mountain being so against us staying in Langa, I can see why she reacted as such because it is an all black township and the members stare at me as soon as I walk outside, am sitting in the car or buy something at the stand. This is definitely ballsy of SIT and I hope so much that everyone else is having good or even better experiences at their homes. This is extremely challenging and out of my comfort zone so I can easily see how it could be too much for some of the group members to handle, so I hope they are all ok.