One thing about Senase, they really do not speak very good English. We found a solution to this problem though; speak slightly like a cave man. I know I know it sounds very degrading and terrible but it worked. I would ask children “what’s your name?” and they would look at me blankly and just smile. Then my roommate Don would go up and say “ME. DON. What is your name (spoken in a weird accent)” and they would instantly tell them his name! it became sort of a joke with all of us saying “what is your name” in this strange accent. Anyways back to the story…
When we got back from the farm lunch had been prepared at a local school for us, it consisted of beans with a pepper sauce, rice, and plantains, and of course was delicious. GHANIAN FOOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!! I wonder if we have any restaurants because we all have to go! After lunch we headed back to the village for our drumming and dance lesson. Our instructor was this tiny little man who kept getting really annoyed with us. First he tried to find someone to beat this cowbell, which was the main instigator of keeping the rhythm, none of the boys could do it! Frustrated I tried to give them advice and found the cowbell handed to me by our instructor, which of course I was able to do perfectly. I was really upset because I and wanted to dance so I tried to give it up but it was really hard because noone else could do it! Bryan tried forever and because I wanted to dance he finally just modified it so that Bryan could do it hahaha. It was really funny because Bryan just kept on trying and trying to get it but he actually couldn’t lol. We practiced forever the dance and I was actually really proud of myself because I had ladies telling me that I looked like a true Ghanaian which was saying something because literally everyone was laughing at our attempts to get the dance moves down. After our dance and drum practice which went about 2 hours we were exhausted but knew that we had to experience Ghanaian night life. We went out and danced to hip live, which is like African hip-hop and is awesome. I danced the night away with everyone and we noticed that Fred our tour guide was dancing really close to this girl named Maggie which we all thought was interesting but didn’t really think to much into it.
The next day we woke up and got dressed in our cultural outfits and performed the dance and drumming we had learned, but we totally messed it up, thankfully some students joined us, and we got slightly back on track however our outfits were really skimpy and my entire top fell down at one point which made everyone watching (which was over 300 people btw) laugh. It was slightly terrible lol. After that we got back on the bus and headed back to Takoradi.
The final day we were in port I went on an FDP (field directed practica) for my natural resources and social conflict class which was looking at the gold mining industry it is amazing some of the atrocities that those people underwent from the multi-nationals that came in to mine in these areas. (add in detail, story of Maggie and fred and the senase project) overall Ghana was an eye opening experience and one that I will never forget!
South Africa was AMAZZINGGG! If you didn’t already hear, because of the winds we were unable to dock for over 24 hours! Meaning that we lost an entire day in South Africa due to weather conditions it was terrible! I missed both my one day safari and my wine tour but in the end it was ok. When we got in I went out to explore Victoria Wharf with a few friends. The waterfront of Cape town is so gorgeous and rivals areas like san Francisco and San Diego for beauty. There is a lot to do there whether it is to ride the ferris wheel go to the mall, catch a movie, or go for a nice dinner right on the water. We went into the mall and it was nice to finally be back in civilization! I didn’t but anything but I was able to pick up my tickets for U2 for later that night!!!! After walking around for a while we headed back to the ship and got ready to head out for the U2 concert! The concert was taking place in the stadium that was recently built for the World Cup this past summer and it can hold up to 50,000 people! The entire place was packed and since we had general admission seating we were on the ground with thousands of other people. I went to the concert with Simi, Mandela, Alex, and Adit. We pushed our way to a pretty good spot and then waited for it to begin. In front of us were a group of South African students who were really rowdy and it smelt exactly like what me and chelsey smelt watching the world cup game in Pamplona in the town square. Brought back good memories and it was crazy to think that the game I was watching on the screen that night took place exactly where I was now standing! Alex and Mandela wanted to get shirts and beers and decided to go and come back but I refused to go because I knew there was no way they would get back and I was right! Simi went with them so that was the last time I saw any of them until after the concert, I was kind of mad because I didn’t know Adit at all, but we had a really good time and from where we were standing I could actually see Bono some times. The concert was sooooooooooooo good! If I ever get the opportunity to see them again I would go hands down it was the best concert I have ever been to in my life (which isn’t saying all that much but they were phenomenal!). After the concert we went out and stayed up wayyy too late.
I woke up the next day and walked around cape town (we were supposed to go skydiving but it was too windy ☹) so instead me James and my other guy friend Alias went and did some shopping and went to see part of the X games which were also taking place in Cape Town. I bought a marimba which is this cool instrument for Ben and we sat in the back of a van that had been converted into an atm and plucked away at the marimba for a while, it was good fun. Then we went out for a really nice dinner at this restaurant called beluga which had amazing food (I got sushi and lamb, both were fantastic) I went to dinner with my friends James and Brandon, and it was nice to learn more about both of them and then we went out to the famous long street which is home to all the bars and clubs and met up with some fellow SASers. Again we stayed out late this time purposefully because we had to leave for shark diving at 5:15 and did not trust ourselves ti wake up at a decent hour if we actually did go to bed. We went to this street side vendor at 4:45 and got amazing sausages, witnessed someone get mugged and made our way back to the ship with just enough time to change and meet up with the other peeps we were going cage diving with. The drive to Gannsbai (where we went to do it) was about 2 and a half hours away so we slept in the van. We got there around 8 and had some breakfast, The company we went through was really awesome they had taken people like Brad Pitt, Jeff Corwin (animal planet), cooper Anderson, halle berry, prince henry and more cage diving. The owner of the company was a researcher and had free dove with great whites many time in hopes to dispel the myth of them being cold blooded killers. We finally got on the ship and headed out. Let me tell you that I got sea sick very quickly becaue the boat was flying over the waves and the smell of chum kept sweeping by me, thankfully I didn’t throw up but my friend paroma did! When we got there the owner was already out doing research and he said that they had already spotted 6 sharks! This is really cool because it is not currently shark season and because of this nothing is ever guaranteed. However recently there has been a lot of shark activity at this time because climate change is making it so that everything in nature is a little wonky. We learned that there are only 1000 great whites left and that our children will probably never see one alive which was a very humbling and sad fact. Then we got into our wet suits and waited for one to come! The cage was a long rectangle and when we got in there were 7 different sections each section held one person. I was in the last group so I went up to the top of the ship to watch and take video. OMG these sharks were huge! They looked like giant torpedos under the water, even the baby one rivaled any shark that I had ever seen in captivity for size. Finally it was my turn to get in and amazingly I was not nervous! When you get into the cage you hold onto the bars that separate each section and place your knees onto this yellow bar. You stay like this with your body half submerged until they yell “down” at which point you are supposed to throw yourself under hold unto the yellow bar with your hands and observe. You have a little weighted belt which keeps you submerged but it took me a few tries to get down the sequence, first off because I am short getting back up was a challenge and also I kept forgetting to take sufficient air in because I always got to excited when they yelled for us to go down. I also kept knocking my shins into the yellow bar and kicking the guy next to me on my way up or down. However nothing mattered compared to seeing those sharks. We were lucky and had sharks come super close to us, one literally was staring me in the face from about 3 feet away, another swam so close that I could have reached out and touched him, a different one bit the cage right by james, and one floated by at about 15 feet in length, it was unreal!
When we got back from cage diving me and James although sleep deprived had this brilliant idea to hike table mountain. (add in story about crazy water selling man). It was probably the hardest exercise I have ever done! I have never done a stair master but from what I have heard from season stair master users is that this hike was like being on a stair master on the hardest setting for 2 ½ hours. All I know is that I barely survived it. Given that I have short limbs I honestly was bringing my knees to my chest to clim the high stones, and was at points literally on my hands and knees. Needless to say I took many breaks and James kept on running ahead then yelling words of encouragement at me. It started to drive me crazy because he almost sounded patronizing but that frusteration helped to fuel me on so I guess we could say he was motivational in a way. Getting to the top was such an accomplishment, and after doing that I honestly feel like I could run a marathon and survive (people who had run marathons said it was comparable-I dunno bout that but it was sooooo hard!) The view made everything worth it, it is like an alien world up there. You can see everything and the views of the ocean and of cape town are breathtaking. Table moutain from the ground looks entirely flat and has legendary clouds known as the table cloth for the way they wrap themselves around the top. There are many legends about these saying everything from a smoking contest that continues with the gods, or as a way for the beauty of cape town to remain hidden and secret from the outside world. The table cloth blew in after we had had a while to look around which gave us the opportunity to see both sides of table mountain and was amazing. After looking around we rode the cable car down and headed back to have another exciting night on the town.
The nest day me and Jamed woke up and because we had been unable to go the day before we went skydiving. I have never been more nervous for something in my entire life! You get into this tiny plane and they have this clear cover that slides down to close you in. I unfortunately was the last on the plane and was thus pressed against this tiny glass cover, which seemed like it had no lock. Since I wasn’t harnessed into anyone yet this was really really scary and I kept forcing the guy to tell me it was locked. We went up and I was also the first one to go (which in hind sight was smart because if I had seen anyone go –apparently it looks like they are sucked under the plane-I probably would’ve freaked) I was almost hyperventilating by this point especially since I didn’t really know what was going on. About 60 seconds prior and I had sat down in my guys lap and he had strapped me in, only telling me to keep my head up and that we were going to sit with our legs dangling out of the plane. Looking out only seeing earth and things as tiny specs below you, knowing that in a second you are going to be freefalling is actually insane, I look positively crazy and then in the next second I was falling, with my cheeks blowing back and only incredible views around me, I know they say your stomach doesn’t drop but I still waited for it fully expecting it to happen but it never came. It was the biggest adrenaline rush ever and I can’t wait to go again (maybe for our 21st chels??) I got a video of me doing this which is probably the most disgusting thing you will ever see and it rivals the soccer video (so yes you all will be dieing when you see it) as far as funniness and ugliness of me (if it is somehow incorporated into my wedding you all will die)
After skydiving I went to an internet café for a bit-I only managed to get one movie up and maybee two pics ugh and then me and James, lilly, gabi, greg, and paroma all went to Robbin Island. Robbin Island was a place where the kept political prisoners and was where Nelson Mandela was kept. It was really cool to go there and learn more about such a historical place. The tours are given by past prisoners so they are able to tell you about their story and whatnot. Our guide had gotten arrested for trying to recruit people into his organization which was anti-apartheid. He was arrested at the age of 19 and was forced to stay in prison for 5 years. The prison was very segregated and there were many different areas all of which were separated from one another. For example the areas where the high profile inmates like Mandela were kept was very segregated and they were unable to interact with other inmates. Our guide was in a group holding cell where most slept on the floor. Another interesting fact was that different ethnic groups received different treatment. If you were A (white) a B (colored-Asian/Indian) or a C (black). Based off of that you were given different food, different privileges etc. It was really sad and interesting to hear about the inner workings of Robbing Island, a place with such a notorious past.
My final day in Cape Town I spent on an SAS trip where we helped out a local NGO called operation hunger. They work on multiple projects in varying sectors from food aid, water sanitation, and HIV aid and education. We went to help out at a local food kitchen that they help in a township right outside of Cape Town. It was amazing how different this part of Cape Town is. The disparity in the townships rivaled that which I saw in Ghana. Shack houses, with outhouses, no running water, or electricity and barefoot children running around painted a very different picture than the one I had first received at the Cape Town waterfront. We met up with a woman who worked for operation hunger and who specifically helped out at this soup kitchen often. When we first got there she told us that the mothers were going to come early and that we were going to do a short research study where we took the weight and age of the children and then based off of that determined their level of malnutrition. A -3 was severely malnourished, which went to a 0 being average to 3 being overweight. We weighed around 35 children, of the children that we weighed; only two were 0’s. Most were -2 or -3. The most despairing situation came in the form of a sweet two year old that weighed 14.5 lbs…less than half of what she should have. It is hard to imagine that there were two sides to the Cape Town that I saw but this definitely showed me that poverty did exist here. The hardest fact was that these people did not seem to want to help themselves. There is a clinic about 15 minutes away that provides care for malnourished children free of charge, but for some reason or another it is not utilized. It is discouraging because how can you help to change this cycle that is perpetuating society if people are not willing to help themselves? How can you empower people to realize that their situation isn’t dismal? We helped to cook the food and then left while it was cooking to go an visit a donated library that this man named John had started. It served as an afterschool program for kids and children from all around the township came to utilize it. We learned that in the school the highest education that a teacher has is a 7th grade education, the lowest was a 4th grade education. These teachers were responsible for teaching classes of upwards of 50 children. This obviously does not facilitate an atmosphere of learning and pushes children through the system whether they are illerate or not. The afterschool program was helping to provide the needed push and help that these kids needed to succeed in school. It was nice to see that some programs were really able to make a difference. After we visited the school we went and had lunch on a local beach. I went on this FDP with non of my normal group (Mandela, James, and Alex were supposed to come but ditched out…) but I really enjoyed talking with some new people and getting to know them better, it was a nice change of pace. We ate our box lunches on the sand watching the waves, and talking about boys, and life on the ship and general girl gossip that I normally miss out on, given that I hang out with a bunch of guys all the time. After lunch we headed back to the soup kitchen to help them serve the food. I was privileged because I ended up getting to hold a little 4 month old baby (who honestly looked and weighed the same as a 1-2 month old..) who was a twin. Her sister wasn’t there but looking at her precious little face I couldn’t help but think of the incredible bond that she was going to share with her twin (just like you and me cheech). The little baby, Camden was so precious and she ended up falling asleep as I rocked her so of course I fell instantly in love and when she woke up people had to literally pry her out of my grasp so that they could hold her, but after holding her for about an hour I guess it was time to share, plus my arm was tired. After that we left and we headed back to the ship to leave and head for Mauritius and I fell instantly asleep, only to awaken 14 hours later to find myself sea bound again…
No comments:
Post a Comment