Cape Town Living

I'm loving life in Cape Town more and more.  Besides working at the clinic, I spend most of my time hiking, eating, and going to the beach.  Cape Town is living up to all that I dreamed, and I worry slightly that I'm falling into the "Cape coma".  Life is pretty good.

Lion's Head Full Moon Hike

View of Lion's Head from the trail

Lion's Head is one of the more relaxed hikes in Cape Town, so much so that the "Full Moon Hike" has become a favorite activity of locals and tourists alike.  We hiked up a few days before the full moon to avoid the heavy crowds.

Above the cloud line hiking Lion's Head

Unfortunately, the moon was fairly cloud-covered through the night and we couldn't rely on its light for the hike down as we'd expected.

Glimmer of the moon

Despite the clouds, the view of the city at night was stunning and our little picnic atop Lion's Head was pretty magical.  I'll definitely be hiking again the next full moon.

Holly and I atop Lion's Head

Boomslang Caves at Kalk Bay

Group inside Boomslang Cave

With VAC, a group of us trained to Kalk Bay to hike up to Boomslang Cave.  The cave itself was small but quaint, and I did enjoy the momentary thrill of complete darkness; however, the best part of the hike was emerging from the cave to the spectacular views of Kalk Bay.  

View from outside the cave

Llandudno Beach

Llandudno Beach

Llandudno Beach is a quiet little beach past the Clifton beaches to which most city dwellers escape.  I loved its size (must go at low tide though because high tide wipes the beach out almost completely) and its serenity. Although the waves cannot compare to those of Muisenburg (where I learned to surf), I certainly appreciated the quiet and lack of people.  And for those who need a little excitement in their lives, the boulders on the beach provide just enough adventure.  For a quiet beach get away, Llandudno is my new go-to.

Boulders at Llandudno Beach

Goodbye Braai for the Kiwis

Backyard Braai

Two good friends here, Jourden and Tom, packed up their bags this morning and are headed back to New Zealand.  In traditional South African style, we celebrated them with a braai.  Dough wrapped boerewers, chips, and cider highlighted the night.

Braaiing Boerewers and veggies

Delicious South African Chips

Changing a Culture

Excuse my ranting, but I've been in South Africa for four weeks and the one question that continually wracks my brain is: How do you change culture without changing it?  

I am a nostalgic person.  I dream of the Victorian era to the days of flappers and prohibition, and of course, I dream of the 60s from which epic music arose.  I dream of my childhood, of the days when we'd catch lightening bugs and roll down grassy knolls for hours, of days before the Internet and cell phones in which snail mail and punctuality existed.  Yet, as nostalgic of a person as I may be, I simultaneously believe that communities must continue to evolve, preserving the delicacies of culture while moving forward to a more prosperous future.

My question to you is, how do you change a culture without changing a culture?  How do you retain those qualities of a culture that produce the euphoric feeling when looking back whilst simultaneously propelling it forward for the greater good of the community?  I was raised a sensitive person, both to other people's feelings as well as to cultural differences.  "Treat everyone how you want to be treated" is a common phrase out of my mother's mouth, and although I do have my snarky moments and low points in which I find myself being critical of others or a tad bullish, I try to take a step back and think about the big picture, everyone is different, and it's OK for things not to go my way.  As a "citizen of the world", I've always tried to maintain my sensitivity and am very slow to process judgements when in a foreign country.  I've always had the mindset that criticizing a foreign culture is completely taboo and tried to avoid the "colonizer/Western/American" mindset that my way is the right way.  But at what point is this a hindrance to improving a society?  I'm much less afraid of criticizing myself, my peers, and my culture if I believe that the criticism is constructive and for the greater good.  If the cultural norm is a hindrance to society, why not change the norm?

This leads me to the topic of health and the health care system in South Africa.  For the last four weeks (a very small amount of time and not nearly enough to establish substantial opinions about anything) I've been interning in a clinic in the township of Crossroads.   This clinic is specifically for the poorest people in Africa who receive their health care for free, subsidized by the government.  Crossroads is a primary care facility in which the majority of patients come through with problems associated with hypertension and diabetes, stemming mostly from their poor diet and weight.  Red meat and pap (corn meal similar to grits) are the staple diet of most South Africans, and unfortunately, it's this staple that is so detrimental to their health and the health of the country.  Every day, I hear the doctor telling patients to stop eating salt, no more soda, no more candy, and try to exercise.  Yet time and time again, the same patients come in with high blood pressure or out of control sugar and have no understanding of cause and effect.   How do you get an entire culture to stop eating so much and get out and move (where is Michelle Obama right now?  South Africa could use her).

The system here is being abused.  Because patients do not understand that it is lifestyle that is causing health problems, they have not made the connection in changing those habits, but they have made the connection between pills and treatment.  And because of their poverty, these pills are free, subsidized by the government.  My question for the government is, wouldn't it be more advantageous to instead invest in lifestyle education and subsidies for healthy food so that pap and soda are not the "affordable" choice.  In the end, isn't the "affordable choice" unsustainable and unaffordable?

Back to the question, how do you change a culture without changing its culture.  I love the idea of large family meals of pap and a large braii of fresh red meats, dancing, music, and jolly conversing.  But it needs to be learned that this cannot be the norm, but the exception, and that healthy foods need to balance these feasts out.  Now there are plenty of patients in the clinic who do understand the doctors and follow their instructions religiously.  I admire these patients greatly for their ability to overcome the social norms and work hard to become healthy and enrich their lives.  And I worry about my attitude every day--am I too western, do I have the colonizer mentality?  Or is my desire to impress upon people the advantages of a healthy lifestyle justified?

Over the next four weeks in Cape Town, my goal is to understand better the public health in South Africa, and learn what campaigns are contributing to the goal of a healthy population.  From what I've witnessed so far, the public health system in South Africa is unsustainable as people are too reliant on the government's free health care and free medicine.  I want to see what South Africa is doing to increase the health of its people so that they can spend less time in the long ques of community health clinics, and more time working and enjoying their lives.  I'm excited about learning more at Crossroads and engaging in debate with the doctors and nurses over the best treatment options.  In this time, I hope to finally understand how to improve a society without extinguishing its cultural vibrancy.

Note: This is not a problem of just South Africa.  Look at the United States and our current obesity problem.  Similarly, the US as a whole cannot afford the growing health care costs associated with unhealthy lifestyles.  I hope to use this experience to better understand how I can contribute positively to society when I return home.

Up The Creek

This past weekend, I went to a music festival called Up the Creek.  Lounging on a creek listening to live music all weekend was a perfect way to spend my time.  Some of my favorite bands included Peachy Keen, the Kongos, and Hot Water.

Beautiful drive to the creek

Girls by the creek

The river stage overlooked the creek so we could see and hear the bands all day

(Untitled due to lack of theme)

Cape Town living is going well.  I'm adjusting to living in the city and interning every day at the clinic.  I was having a hard time at first because of how spread out and un-communter friendly I find the city, but I'm learning more and more everyday and feel much more comfortable than even a week ago.  I live in the suburb of Observatory, and it's an easy train ride into Cape Town proper and from there, an easy mini-bus ride to basically anywhere in the city.  Unfortunately, the crime rate in Cape Town is still pretty high and using these services past dusk is not an option, and so my dependency on cabs and friends with cars is greater than I'd prefer.  Many of you know that I love walking, and I've been spoiled by living in great cities like DC and Buenos Aires where you can walk for blocks through many neighborhoods.  That's not the case in Cape Town, but I know that I'll grow to love this city just as much as the others and find its strengths in other areas.  Each day I feel more independent and excited about the opportunities to explore.

Last week I had my first Xhosa class, celebrated Australia day with my Australian roommates, ate Springbok, and rebuilt a garden at the township clinic in Guguletu

An Australian-South African-American-style "Australia Day" Celebration

Our finished garden at Guguletu Hospital

The J&B Met

This past weekend, I went to the Met horse race in Cape Town, at Kenilworth Stadium.  Apparently, this race is a big deal and all of South Africa, including Johannesburg, comes to Cape Town for the weekend, not only for the races but for the after parties.  Every year, the Met has a theme, and this year it was "Made Different."  This means that your outfit should not be made of "traditional" fabric.  The costumes were incredibly inventive and you could tell many people labored over their creations.  Unfortunately (and slightly on purpose), my friends, most attendees, and I missed this memo and just showed up in our racing finest.  Unlike races that I've been to in the Southeastern US, here in Cape Town, your "racing finest" can range from the elaborate costumes to cocktail style and even to your finest "prom night" attire.  Also, the girls in South Africa are not afraid of tackling the grass with their highest high heels--a conquest I'd rather not attempt.  Between the races, fashion was the main event.  People walked away with grand prizes for winning the costume contests.  Fashion at the Met is not a laughing matter.

Besides the fashion, there was obviously the horse racing.  Although I placed no bets (boring I know, yada yada), my friends did and several of them walk away with a few hundred Rand.  So all in all, I think they walked away about $15 richer each.  I guess it's better than walking away poorer.

Also--highlighted below, a couple of friends and I bumped into Schalk Burger, one of the nation's top rugby players.  Obviously we had not idea who he was, but why not be obnoxious and still make him take a picture with us?  Overall, I'd forgotten how much I love horses and horse racing and the event was a success and a great South African cultural experience.

South African Rugby Player, Schalk Burger

Devil's Peak

On Sunday, a few friends and I went for a hike up Devil's Peak.  Being my first hike in Cape Town, I knew it'd be challenging, however, my expectations were greatly surpassed.  We're in the middle of summer here, and the sun is unlike any sun I've felt (and I grew up in the armpit of heat that is Columbia, SC).  It felt great to make it to the top, and the 360 degree view of the city and sprawling suburbs was breath-taking.  The Cape is such an amazing area, flat lands randomly interrupted by these massive mountains, dividing into hundreds of little communities.   The hike down was a little painful and exhausting, but definitely worth it now that I'm recovered.

Mid-way through the hike, in the "saddle" between Table Mountain and Devil's Peak

View of Table Mountain (left) and Lion's Head (right) from the top of Devil's Peak

View of Cape Town from the top of Devil's Peak 

So relieved we made it to the top

Sunday night, I also ventured to Camps Bay (a very posh area of Cape Town) to see local celebrity electronica band, Goldfish.  I have seen my fair amount of DJs and electronica music, and I have to say that I was very impressed, for they were nothing like I've seen before.  Besides the traditional mixing of beats, they each play instruments like the Saxophone, the keyboard, the double bass, and the D-beam (insert awe here).  They also invited in a singer and a rapper intermittently throughout the show and played with them.  So I'm officially a big fan and after the show I talked with them a bit.  Anyone in Miami in March should go see them.  Besides that, they unfortunately don't make it to the US often (not yet at least).  Luckily, they'll still be playing Sundays in Camps Bay for the remaining summer Sundays here so cheers to making it out there more!  Give the guys a listen!

courtesy Goldfish