Skål!

Now you know how to say “cheers” in Norwegian (pronounced “skawl”)! So I’ve been picking up some new terms from my Norwegian buddies here in Cape Town.

Vidar (a Norwegian medical student) and I

I’m really amazed with how many languages people know around here. It shouldn’t be surprising though since South Africa has 11 official languages! And to think people in the United States grumble when someone speaks a language other than English (not you guys though :) ). I’m trying my best to learn some of the basics in Afrikaans and Xhosa (which is the language primarily spoken in the township I am working in). Xhosa is such an entirely different language from English and Spanish, which are the only two languages I know. It has a lot of different clicking sounds that require you to use your tongue (“Xh” is one click sound). I started work this week and attempted to pronounce people’s names in Xhosa and was promptly laughed at.

The clinic I am primarily working at is located in the township of Crossroads, which is located close to the airport. The township is a world of its own. There isn’t much public transportation from the main part of Cape Town, so people do not really leave the area. Plus the township extends for miles. Just imagine rows of makeshift aluminum houses beyond the eye can see. It reminds me a lot of some of the poorer communities I saw in the Dominican Republic 4 years ago. (I didn’t bring my camera this time, but I’ll put up some pictures next time.)

I did see a little boy playing soccer outside the clinic, and it made me think of the awesome work that Grassroot Soccer is doing in communities like Crossroads to educate kids about HIV. Actually, Michelle Obama was recently in Cape Town and met with the organization, so check that out! And please feel free to donate to the cause!

I was even more shocked when my coworker took me just 20 minutes outside the township and showed me the Atlantic Seaboard, which have the most beautiful houses (more like mansions) on hills overlooking the ocean. It is an entirely different place. Even though apartheid ended 2 decades ago in South Africa (at least from a governmental perspective), deep divisions and disparities among different races remain.

I’ve been exploring the city more and went to the Waterfront recently to check it out. It is pretty much this really nice/touristy area of town with a large shopping mall on the water. It does have some cool things around it, like a square dedicated to the 4 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates from South Africa (Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela):

Nobel Laureates of South Africa

They also have some interesting artwork:

This guy is made out of crates.

Since this is such a touristy place, the stores here are pretty much European- or American- influenced. I thought this store was pretty interesting:

No comment.

And lastly, happy belated Fourth of July! It made me sad to miss the fireworks in NYC or the Boston Pops on the Esplanade. However, the Green Elephant had their own celebration for the homesick Americans:

"Patriotic Shot" = Sambuca, Vodka, and Grenadine

"All America Cocktail" = Jim Beam, Southern Comfort, and Coke

Neither sounded particularly American nor appetizing.

Until next time!

John