Taking a deep breath

Finally, I have a down day after some craziness. The weather here is really just like San Fran. It can be sunny and perfect one day and cold and wet the next. The people respond accordingly. Nice and cheery one day, sullen and cross the next. Tomorrow we have our first weekly meeting with the students and so far I think things are going great. There are really no problem kids in this group of twenty students this month. Even the quiet and reserved ones are starting to come around. I like to think that this has something to do with me being here and being available to them to help with problems, miscommunications, etc. For example, one student wanted to do an extra Emergency Med shift yesterday and although Marion had already spoken with her, I was able to supplement some background about the politics of the hospital we were dealing with and how we would try to get her the extra shift, but if it didn’t happen she shouldn’t be too disappointed.

Apparently, something as simple as setting and resetting expectations for people can be a really useful thing. Translation: I like my job here

Oppression sucks man

I finally finished reading the history section of my tour book last night. It seems that much of the roots of what happened here with Apartheid can be traced back to the Anglo-boer war (boer is the word they use here to refer to Europeans) when the British used scorched earth tactics and concentration camps to subjugate the colonials in SA and reassert their dominance in the country. This shock led to the Afrikaner broederbond (brotherhood) movement in which Afrikaners (originally poor white working class) began to imagine an independent, all Afrikaner country. This sort of paranoid nationalism emerges and later becomes fully devoloped in part due to the influence fascist ideas from Germany during the 1940s. Perhaps in some way, the paranoia of the white governing class during apartheid can be traced back to this struggle?

Its interesting that the same cycle of colonial history repeats itself everywhere. Group A by force of arms subjugates Group B and divides it into Group B and C by class/race. Group B is allowed to become better off both to create a buffer between A and C as well as to justify that Group A’s colonial policies are “helping the people”. Eventually, it becomes economically and militarily possible for Group B to replace Group A at the top and they buy Group C’s allegiance with the promise of a better life. Group B replaces Group A under a banner of independence. Meanwhile Group C finds out that their new leaders are no better than the old leaders but they are unable to do anything about it.

“Democratic” South Africa – some observations

In spite of the democratic ideals by which the current government, the ANC or African National Congress, won the 1994 election is awash with corruption at all levels. From talking to former taxi drivers, the various homestay families, residents in the community and from reading the press, corruption here extends all the way from the bottom to the top. At the top, the ANC leaders are definitely not setting a good example for the rest of the country. Recently, the news has been all about a story in which the Deputy President Zuma accepted bribes to help a local businessman secure a government arms contract. Both the businessman and Zuma’s roles in this shady deal have been uncovered and Zuma and other government officials are now under pressure to resign.

From the bottom, we took a tour of the African (Black) townships on Sunday. Many of these shanty towns are constructed from corrugated iron and lack basic services like food and water. We also saw a series of tents in place of one square block of these shanty towns. Apparently, a fire had destroyed this area of townships and the government had used emergency monies to provide tents and food to the people here and then transition them to public housing. However, upon further inquiry it seems that residents of other townships often will set up a shack in the shanty towns and then burn it all down so that they can get a new house from the government plus food and services then sell it for a profit. My host dad tells me of other schemes in which people acting as local government promise the poor a subsidized house, take their deposits and disappear, fake doctors sell prescriptions to people, people steal electricity from street lights on homemade wires and sell it to the poor. I have been to a local pub in Langha where I talked to someone who passed himself off as a government official by giving me some false information about the poverty and lack of housing in the area and suggesting that we should “arrange a meeting” if I wanted to help the local residents.

In short, corruption is rampant here and goes from the top to the bottom. Many of the elected representatives use their political privilege as a cash card and young adults and teenagers roam the streets of the poor townships working up schemes to trick the rich and the poor out of their money. The attitude really is one of “why work when I can just take money from people with a clever scheme?”

Helping people

I sat in an HIV positive support group today for pregnant mothers with HIV. The six women who were there lived in the African townships of Langa, Kayelitsha etc and were unemployed, unmarried and often could not disclose to anyone about their disease for fear of social stigma. They are yet probably the lucky ones who have the courage and access to treatment. Despite the fact that access to care is free for these mothers, they are all unemployed and have no other income generating income. This seems to me the prime target market for microfinance borrowers. The conversation was in Xhosa (an African language involving clicks), the people were real, the Xhosa/English social worker was truly trustworthy and capable, and somehow I really felt that I have finally met today those who I am intended to help.

Simultaneously, I received an intro email from someone at DMS who is introducing me to someone doing microfinance here. Hopefully, I can actually help some people start income generating activities while I am here.

Mini bus taxi rides

Day 5 in SA and I am starting to get the hang of it. Just took my first ride on a minibus taxi. To give you an idea, just try to imagine 20 people jammed into a ghetto VW van that is supposed to seat 11, careening around corners, with one guy with his head out the side window hawking for more passengers.

Anyway, apparently its not safe for tourists to use because there have been some problems with gangs going on the taxis with the target and once the bus is on the road, robbing them. Luckily for me, my host dad Waleed comes with me and carries his piece with him. Somehow, when you forget about the safety concerns, it becomes kind of fun.

Capetown Geography 101

The geography of this city says a lot about its history and character. Right next to the airport in the eastern part of the city, there are several formerly “coloured townships” which are segmented into square residential communities by four uncrossable highways. Vanguard Estates is where I am staying. Vanguard is just one of the townships that makes up the Capetown Flats. These townships are the result of Apartheid policies which resettled people by ethnicity and discouraged interaction between communities. Just to our east are the wine estates. Can’t wait to go wine tasting!

To our northwest is the Table Mountain which is like a flat topped mountain (it really does look like a table). Lately the clouds have covered the top but I am told it is beautiful during the summer time (December, January is summer here). Past Table Mountain is the waterfront and city centre which looks, feels and is exactly like a modern European city. The waterfront area has several posh malls and touristy things like sidewalk cafes movie theaters, etc.

Transportation is going to be the key issue here. Between the townships and the City centre, it is about 20km of highway. Since the minibus taxis are not safe, the only means of transport is really private cars . . . I think I am going to try to learn how to drive stick shift and on the other side of the road so I can have some more freedom to move around.

South Africa – the cast of characters

Here are the people I have grown to know and love over the last couple of days . . .

Waleed Arnold – my host dad (but he’s only 28) and as they say in SA, “just crazy mon”. He’s like a Malay, muslim Santa Claus if you can imagine that. Booming voice, barrel chest, big stomach, kind smile. He is the kind of person that jokes around with you and treats you like family even if you barely know him. Behind the teddy bear exterior, I can tell he can be scary when he gets angry. Everyone knows him because he is a friendly guy and use to drive a minibus cab. No one will mess with him because I am sure they have in the past and regretted it. He carries a piece which he knows how to use it. He’s one of those people you are glad to have on your side. We play pool, joke around, talk about our different countries, play video games together.

Zainab – Waleed’s wife who works in a corporate job. She is of indian descent but now considered malay because apparently non-malays here must convert to malay/Islam in order to marry malays. Zainab and Waleed have a 5 year old daughter Nafeesah who takes after her father (translation: she is spunky, loves to laugh and joke around and tries to slap me around all the time)

Nazli – Waleed’s sister who I think of as my host mom. She is 32, single mother and has lived in Holland for 8 years. She thinks of SA as a stopping point in her life and wants to go abroad again. We talk a lot about travel and I find that she is curious and very kind. Nazli has a 9 year old daughter named Ferhana who is sweet, a bit quiet and conservative (basically the complete opposite of Nafeesah)

Mrs. Arnold – The Matriarch of the family she is Waleed and Nazli’s mother, a tall and noble Malay muslim woman. She walks around with her head held up, cooks and cleans all day and is really the core of what holds the family together. She is very religious and has very strong political views. We have talked about the past, how Malays and other Coloureds (their word for those of mixed African/European heritage) were treated under Apartheid and how corrupt the current government is. She is married to a harmless old guy that I call Grandpa who is currently sick in bed with the flu and suffers from high blood pressure.

Marion – The students primary contact within the CFHI program here. Her role is to place the students in their homestays, make sure they get to the clinics and overall have a good experience here. She looks like Whoopi Goldberg with her frazzy hair and dark complexion (she is coloured). She is laid back, jokes around, kind hearted and in a short time becomes like the sister you never had. Her brother, Clive on the surface seems totally opposite. He has steely green eyes and with one look can shut you up and make you feel stupid. He is worldly, intellectual and very liberal in his views (he was a former hippie and politically active in the SA freedom movement).

Sister Avril – Sister is the prefix title given to nurses in this country. Avril is quiet, extremely competent and very perceptive. She also cares about the students a lot and is very kind. She is a Nurse Practitioner and used to run her own clinic here. The only thing I don’t get is that she smokes like a chimney.

Anyway, this is the cast of characters I will be working with here. Over the last several days, they have really welcomed me here with open arms and given me a great impression of this place. The first students have started arriving already, I look forward to a good month.

What am I doing here????

In case you didn’t already know, I am in Capetown, South Africa for the next 11 weeks working with the Child Family Health International study program here. Since I participated in their program in Ecuador this past January, I am coming to SA as an Alumni Fellow, which
means that I am here to ensure that the summer students that come here have a safe and enjoyable experience (and don’t fall off any bikes). In exchange, the program has paid for my transportation and living expenses here in the country.

I’M IN SOUTH AFRICA!

So far its a country rich in culture but poor in infrastructure. No broadband Internet, no safe, reliable public transportation. I just came back from tea and samosas at “Uncle’s” house. Uncle is the official driver for the CFHI program that I am here with. He identifies himself as Malay but does not speak Malay nor has ever been to Malaysia. His wife is half Indian and has relatives in India but also identifies herself as Malay because Indian’s had no rights under Apartheid. Under Apartheid, Malays were considered Coloured people and could qualify for a broader range of housing options (although obviously not as broad as whites).

Their name is Mammath and they live in a formerly coloured township in the Capetown Flats. These little neighborhoods are litterally sectioned off from one another by uncrossable highways which under Apartheid acted as physical and psychological barriers between people.

My family, the Arnolds, are also Malay and Muslim and still send their kids to Malay schools where the children are all from Malay households and learn Arabic. They speak a mix of Afrikaans (Dutch/English colonial language) and English at home and eat wonderful Malay food(curries, chicken biriyani, etc) which Mrs Arnold, the grandma and matriarch of the family cooks.

Its just interesting to me to see, meet and experience the lives of the people here and note the differences and the legacy of SA’s history here. Better pick up a history book soon.

Anyway, after a few small bumps in the road (like getting bed bugs the first night, not being able to communicate with the outside world the first two days), I am starting to enjoy myself and feel more comfortable.