September is drawing to a close and time seems to be
speeding up as it often does when- well, when you are having fun! Feeling settled and acclimatizing to my new
Atlantic Ocean scenery the possibilities seem as wide as the sliver of ocean
that I can see as I peer between 2 tall apartment buildings. So this is what it is like to live in the
city…
1. The Promenade. Out the gate,
to the left, and 20 steps to the coastal walkway that parallels the rocky coast
of the Atlantic. The promenade, as it is
know, winds its way through Sea Point, Green Point, all the way to the
Waterfront. People of all shapes and
sizes, dogs, boot camp, families, couples, and a slew of characters dart along
at all speeds. Waddles, sprints, hops, jogs, and saunters dabble down the
bricked path as waves crash and sea spray coats your skin. The sunsets are stunning and I often find
that I am called to the walkway as the sky changes and melts into the sea.
2. Heritage Day. One of the perks of living abroad is the
opportunity to celebrate new holidays.
One of the bummers of living abroad is not getting to celebrate those
holidays that you are used to at home.
One of the perks of living abroad is meeting an amazing group of ex-pats
that want to celebrate the holidays of your homeland with you. Saturday September 24th was
Heritage Day or as it has now been coined National Braii Day. A
braii for those of you who don’t know is a barbeque. On Friday, the GRS office shared our heritage
in honor of this communal “hang out, eat a lot, drink and be merry, play in the
sun day!” Such a nonsequitor to learn
about people’s lives and families in a professional setting; refreshing.
3. Table Mountain. This past Saturday a few GRS colleges, my
roommate, and I decided that we would climb Table Mountain. A step and rapid ascent and descent on a
beautiful sunny day; felt like summer.
On such a beautiful day there were bound to be numbers of people making
there way up the hour and a half stair stepper.
Determination, heat, views, and a ‘don’t stop moving’ attitude willed us
up the mountain as we dabbled in the quintessential trail chats. What is it about the air on the trail (pure)
and the meditation of putting one foot in front of the other that lends you to
meaningful and significant conversation? I am convinced that this is at least a
portion of the reason that I am in love with nature- because it brings me
closer to people. Irony. An hour and a half or so up, and you stand victoriously
overlooking Cape Town. An hour down and
you are suddenly submerged by the land that you had seemingly conquered. What a city…
4. HAART and the TAC. Cape Town is infinite in culture. With book fairs, boat shows, semester at sea
in town, and film festivals there is so much to do that I feel spoiled. On Tuesday night I went to go and see a film
that highlighted the Truth Action Campaign and the fight for and initiation of
Highly-Active Antiretroviral Therapy Treatment in South Africa. For many years in South Africa there was ambiguity,
uncertainty, and denial about the roots of HIV, it’s connection to AIDS, and
the means to prevent it from spreading as well as how to best support people
living with HIV. I watched recent image after image of South
African politicians and citizens look Science in the face and say “No!” “No” to the existence of the virus, “No” to
the fact that it lead to AIDS, “No” to the fact that as many as 600,000 people
were suffering from HIV and none of them with treatment. A humbling and contemporary story; contemporary and astonishing. I think that we forget that denial,
ignorance, and the need to educate and the need to provide wholesome
information escapes us because we are in 2011…but ignorance is ever living,
ever present, and something I definitely obtain-even in my own field of work.
5. Bike!
I may have found a bike.
Now onto the scoooooooter, yippee!
