Two Oceans Aquarium and Some Reflecting

Kudos to you, my dear readers, for remaining ever patient and attentive while I neglect my blogging duties these past few weeks. I left off two weeks ago with tales of adventure in Mozambique, and while the past two weeks haven't been quite as thrilling I've definitely been up to a few things that I thought I'd share with you this evening.
Last week actually wasn't at all exciting so I'm just going to skip over that bit and fast-forward to this past weekend. Friday evening started off with Wine Society, which, while sounding like a horribly veiled excuse to just drink for two hours every Friday night is in fact a very fun and socially acceptable way of drinking for two hours while learning about wine and wine tasting. I've gone for two weeks now and already I can tell a lot about a wine based solely on its name, color, and smell. Each week a different vineyard stops by UCT to divulge some knowledge on how its winery grows the grapes and produces the wine, giving us some short but informative presentations on the history of the vineyard and its philosophy in wine production, which has been very helpful in understanding why some wines have a more acidic taste than others, what makes an oaked wine more expensive, and why some wines have to sit in the bottle for so long while others should be shared immediately. I've also discovered that I definitely am not a red wine kind of gal, but can palate a few varieties if pressed.
After Wine Society a few friends and I went out to Claremont to see Water for Elephants, which I recommend although I haven't read the book (I'm told by someone who has that the book, of course, is better, but I still enjoyed the film nonetheless). It certainly made me want to go out and join the circus, or at the very least get an elephant that speaks Polish, but alas, I haven't done either.
Saturday was also action-packed, as I started off the day at Old Biscuit Mill again (although it's been much too long since my last visit!), which of course was fantastic, as always. The experience was made all the better, however, because I happened to run into two friends from Skidmore who are also studying abroad in Cape Town through a different program! What a small world! The three of us were on the same Skidmore First Year Program in London, so it was so nice getting to talk to them about our experiences here in Cape Town in comparison to our experiences in London and how different things are. They leave in mid-May, when their program ends, so I'm hoping that sometime in the very near future we can all get together though.
The girls and I then headed down to the Waterfront to check out the Two Oceans Aquarium, a "must-see" according to all the guidebooks. Having lived within a stone's throw from the Boston Aquarium I was a little skeptical about the fantastic-ness of Two Oceans, but went into it with an open mind and was completely shocked at how cool it was! The exhibits were great and very interesting, and we all ran around like little kids looking at all the amazing sea creatures, both local and abroad, as well as the special exhibit on frogs. While it wasn't as exciting as being in the water with Great White Sharks, I did enjoy the clown fish tank where you could stick your head inside to get a fish's perspective of the world. Unfortunately it was a bit difficult getting into the tank as the little children kept cutting the line: who made the rule that five-year-olds automatically get to go to the front of the line at the aquarium? I don't recall seeing that on the rule board. I got a chuckle out of the "No Fishing" rule though. No joke, they actually specify that you're not allowed to fish at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Anyway, I'm getting carried away...
The rest of Saturday was low-key as the day had been long and educational, so it was a pretty early night for me. Sunday dawned bright and early with a call from one of my friends inviting me to breakfast at this neat little restaurant-farm thing that another girl recommends. Intrigued, I battled my way into the shower and hit the road, literally, as we walked for what seemed like miles, my empty, unhappy stomach grumbling all the way. But boy was the wait worth it. Basically Millstone Farmstall and Cafe is pretty much what it sounds like: a farm that sells its own goods but also runs a cafe on the premises. The store has all homemade goods, from honeys to cookies and bread, and you can sit outside in the sun next to the garden and order food. I got the Farmhouse Breakfast, with scrambled eggs, and I swear to the good Lord they were the best eggs I've ever had in my life. Like, melt-in-your-mouth-like-butter delicious eggs. And the bacon and sausage that came with it: I could practically taste the home-grown. It was fantastic. And the atmosphere was so relaxed and calming, with gardeners doing the weeding and horses grazing on the other side of the fence. Definitely a great way to start off a Sunday. After mowing down on the scrumptiousness we all walked around the place, picked up some essential victuals (the cookies were just begging to be tasted!) and spending some time petting the horses (more than therapeutic for me, I've been dying lately from not being able to ride) we made the trek back, which of course seemed way shorter than the walk out. Funny how that always seems to be the case.
The rest of the weekend was again low-key, with some grocery shopping and reading for class taking up the rest of the afternoon. This week has also been relatively mild, although Manenburg today was a bit chaotic, as the kids finished the activity we had for them super quick, so we were at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them, and they completely took advantage of the situation and got completely out of hand. Only the promise of snacks and outside time could get them to remotely listen. I'm getting to know some of the kids and do enjoy being there with them, but most of the time I look forward to seeing them leave so my head stops ringing and I can take a breath. I can't handle kids and have almost certainly re-affirmed my stance on children and child-rearing.
Anyway, on a more serious note: since getting back from vacation things are quickly winding down in terms of my stay here. Only seven more weeks remain before the end of the program, and nine before I fly back home. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks about my stay here, and what I'm gaining from it, what I haven't accomplished yet, and what I plan to do when I return to the States. I certainly feel that I've gained a lot from my brief stay already: seeing and experiencing first-hand the struggles of people post-apartheid as a new nation, has been incredibly eye-opening. Honestly I don't think I fully considered or anticipated how fresh the wounds would still be for people, so when I left home in January I wasn't fully conscious of what I was going to encounter here. My time in Ocean View and in the subsequent weeks, through material I'm covering in classes and interactions I've had outside of the classroom have really brought home for me how people here are still dealing with the recent history of this country. People are still mourning--for loved ones, for lives irrevocably changed, for what was--but the atmosphere isn't one of sadness. Overwhelmingly I sense and have heard in others a deep wealth of hope, in spite of all that's happened. As a tour guide told us two weeks ago, anger doesn't solve the problem, it doesn't bring back what was lost, and it certainly won't take this country in the direction it needs to go. It's forgiveness and hope that will make the future bright. That was definitely a message and a philosophy I could get on board with, and I think I've incorporated that ideology into my life as much as possible.
Speaking of the personal, I've also been giving some thought to this study abroad experience as a whole and what it has done for and to me. So far I've surprised myself in how much I feel I've immersed myself here in Cape Town as opposed to my semester abroad in London. The explanations for that are as varied as they are complicated, so I won't go into to much detail and risk boring you, but I believe it has something to do with my willingness to submerge myself, my desire to fully experience this place, and my greater understanding of myself as a person between then and now. I came into this study abroad semester with set goals based on my experience in London, which has certainly been to my benefit. Although my living situation isn't ideal aesthetically, I'm certainly happy with my choice of living in the dorm and getting to know at least one of my Southern African roommates, as opposed to secluding myself with other Americans in a house. I'm also thrilled that I chose a program that immersed me into the University culture, where I get to intellectually interact with South African students. While I've been surprised and even saddened by the gaps in the education system here, I certainly respect and admire my UCT peers and have come to know some of them on a personal level. I definitely didn't get that opportunity while in London, and I'm grateful for the opportunity here. I also feel that the courses I'm taking, particularly my South African history course, as well as some of the extracurricular activities, such as my homestay in Ocean View and volunteering in Manenburg and at Brooklyn TB hospital have given me a more rounded view of South Africa, not just from a student's perspective but more importantly from a human perspective. I know it may sound corny, but it's true. Cape Town isn't just a place on the map for me, and it's not just some city I went to school in for a few months; it's hard to express accurately or fully (which is obviously saying a lot, coming from the English major) but I just feel more connected to Cape Town, more aware of it. Maybe it's the people I've encountered, or the things I've seen, or the history lessons and the guided tours, I'm not really sure. I suppose I still have some time left to figure it out.
But it certainly hasn't been easy. Finding my niche among my American peers hasn't been as easy as I'd like, certainly not as fast and binding as fitting in among the Skidmore Londoners (when you're all thrown under the same bus you build a tight sense of camaraderie). I have terrible bouts of homesickness, which I didn't experience as much or as intensely as I did in London. It makes me unspeakably sad knowing that life is carrying on back at home and at Skidmore without me, and seeing the Facebook posts and getting the invites to things I couldn't possibly attend sometimes makes me want to get on the next flight back to Boston. I feel like sometimes I'm a character in a novel, and this chapter is going to end with a satisfying cliche or quip and the next page will open with me back in my real life, getting ready to graduate and finding a job and moving on to the next stage. And this whole semester has sort of felt like that: an interlude to my life, a short break before the real stuff hits the fan. Everything seems to hang on when I get back.
I try to think about all of these observations and reflections and to make sense of them all, which is a daunting task but one that I believe is important in understanding this point that I'm at and growing from it. Yes, life is waiting for me on the other side, but it's also happening right here and now, and hyper-focusing on what's going to happen doesn't make sense when there's so much in the immediate present. As a historian I should be focusing on the past anyway, so what qualifications do I have to micromanage the future? OK, a bad joke but sort of true, in a way.
I'll leave you with that for now and will keep you updated on any progress made towards making sense of life, the universe, and everything else. In the meantime thanks for hanging in there with me and next post will definitely be more lighthearted and fun:)