Capetown and around Durban

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Hello everyone!
I am still doing really well out here. I spent last weekend down in Cape Town, we had an orientation for the Rotary Club. So all the scholars in South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique were there, as well as a couple outbound South Africans who were getting ready to start their scholarships in Sweden and Canada. I was not completely looking forward to the weekend because I had a test coming up and I was just really tired and wanted to relax and study, but it ended up being a great time! I got in last Friday and spent the day at a school the Rotary works with out in a township, and then we hiked to the top of Lions Peak which had a great view over the city, sea, Table Mountain, and Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela and others were held). On our way down we were surprised with a drumming lesson. We all sat in a half circle looking out at the setting sun, with Table Mountain behind us, and learned how to play African drums. It was incredible, unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. Saturday we had a long day of meetings and seminars and then spent our evening working at a carnival selling calamari. The carnival was put on by a group of community service organizations in Cape Town including Rotary, Lions Club and many others. I somehow got stuck being the human spoon coating raw slimy calamari in a flour mixture. On Sunday we went dragon boat racing out on the harbor. It was incredible; we were paddling along with seals barking from the docks, and the traditional view of Cape Town colonial style houses and Table Mountain behind us. We then went to the Botanical Gardens and spent the afternoon there wandering around and watching a concert. I got back Monday just in time for class. I was pleased with myself that I managed to read my huge reading packet while on the plane until I found out I read the wrong packet! I spent most of this week studying because I had my first exam on Friday. After the exam a bunch of us went out to the beach for a bbq, which we call a brai here. It was really nice to just relax and hang out on the water. On Saturday I went out to one of the townships in Durban called Kwandengezi where I worked at a library/resource center. It is amazing out there, lush green rolling hills, just beautiful. I am going to start some afterschool and weekend programs there. I will probably do English classes, maybe soccer or other sports, just anything to get kids off the streets after school. Most crime in South Africa occurs between the hours of 3 to 6 when kids are out of school, so this is a way to get them into safe environments during that time. Other than that I still really love it here, its getting a bit cooler, or maybe I’m just getting used to it! Things are pretty exciting here due to the upcoming elections and all of the corruption and issues that surround it. I am still working on getting a car, now that I am getting involved in service activities that are a bit of a distance away I really need to find something! I have also found myself watching more rugby and cricket, while I haven’t been able to understand how people can spend 5 days playing a single cricket match, it is still pretty entertaining!
Lots of love
Sala Kalhe
Kayse

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