Cape Town Culture Shock

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South Africa: land of wildebeest and lions, a territory blanketed by mountains, dry grasslands and incredible coastlines, a place retaining 11 official languages and whose history has been forever marked by Aparteid, has opened its arms to one more American looking for some peace of mind and a new way to look at life.
For those of you who may be confused in regard to why I made the jump from India to South Africa, here’s your briefing. My mother (born in America to parents from Massachusetts and Mississippi) spent her childhood through University in South Africa. There she grew up with her five other siblings, the last two of which were born in South Africa, in the small city of Pretoria where their father worked as a veterinarian and mother as a housewife and artist. Though my mother and several other siblings wound up marrying and returning to in the States, two sisters, Noel and Tara, still live here married and actively working in their own professions. Noel and Bruce, who live in Cape Town, have two youngsters, Jordan (7 years) and Suzie-Jo (4 and ½ years), who have kept me alert whenever we’re together. Tara and Terrance, who have two teen-aged boys Bradford and Theiler, live in the southern cape city of George near my grandmother who lives in a quaint little beach house in the town of Glentana. My grandfather, who shifts between life in the States and in South Africa, has a home still in Pretoria. And this is the first time I’ve ever been to visit them all. About time.
In my last blog, I had just arrived in Cape Town (having made my way through the United Arab Emirates from India) and wrapped up the travels in India. On June 2nd(or somewhere abouts give or take the time difference) I was picked up at the Cape town airport by my auntie Noel and youngest McCully cousin Suzie-Jo. On the way back they gave me my first intro to the Cape in which I enjoyed the smooth highways leading to their home. There I stayed with Noel, Bruce and their kids for my first three weeks in South Africa.
Noel and Bruce live in an accessible neighborhood (Woodstock) that’s becoming quite a popular area in Cape Town. Easily accessible to the main highway leading tothe down town, it is a colorful little neighborhood with great views on either side (one of the ocean and the other of Devil’s Peek). Besides the beautiful view, it was the people of Woodstock that impressed me the most. Via alleyway happy hours and encounters at the local pub, I was introduced to a handful of neighbors whose open-minded, laid back attitudes took me by surprise…which may or may not have had to do with the fact that I had just come from India, a place where pretty much everything is taboo. Nevertheless, even compared to places like the Twin Cities, I was shocked by how progressive the majority of people were in terms of their concerns and involvement within the community. Anyway it was great to have a chance to get to know more locals and get a grasp on where they stand. Lovely people.
Cape Town, a flourishing metro-center of innovation, design, and ideas is an amazing place to vacation and, even better, to live. The epitome of ‘Lonely Planet Treasure Troves,’ it’s got more than enough indoor/outdoor activities to keep you going for as long as you yourself can keep up. Some of the highlight activities for me were the following:
1. Hunting for wild mushrooms at Stellenbosch National Park with my uncle Bruce. Scaling up down different sections of forest, moving from collections of rubber trees to slopes of fynbos, I developed my capacity to identify ‘Pine Rings’ from poisonous ‘Red Russians.’ This was after my first mushroom spotting turned out to be highly poisonous one. Having already touched it, I had to dash to the nearby stream to wash up, rubbing sand all over my hands to make sure I had gotten it all off. From then on I was much more careful about touching things I didn’t know anything about. After about an hour and a half rummaging through the forest, we had succeeded (well, I should say it was mostly Bruce’s success) at filling the entire basket we had brought with delicious wild mushrooms of all different sizes which we made several pots of delicious mushroom pasta with over the next few days. So for any of you interested in experiencing the thrill of wild mushroom hunting, here are several tips that I learned from Bruce: (1) the ideal time to hunt is during the fall season between intervals of wet and dry periods, ie after several days on rain followed by lots of sunshine. (2) do your research, know how to identify the edible mushrooms from the poisonous ones. Have 1-3 types of edible ones you are looking for and know how to tell them from the poisonous ones that resemble them. (and don’t touch the poisonous ones!) (3) Where there is one mushroom there are probably more. Mushrooms tend to grow in groups, so be excited when you find a hot spot. (4) Enjoy yourself of course…forests are amazing places to be.
2. Viewing African Penguins at the Boulder waterfront with Jordan and Suzie-Jo. On the first Saturday of my stay we all on a day trip to see the African Penguins that congregate at the beach outside Cape Town proper to hatch their young. Who would have thought I would see penguins for the first time in their natural habitat in Africa. The rest of the day was just as lovely, driving over the mountains to a place called Simon’s town for an amazing lunch of Samp (a traditional African staple dish), pasta and about every dessert that was on the menu. The morning’s delicious frothy cappuccino teamed up with the day’s scenic drive, ensuring that my culture shock not be subdued.
3. Going out and about in Cape Town. I was taken out many times by both Bruce and Noel to see what Cape Town is all about. On my first day, after a long and much needed nap, I went with Noel, Jordan and Suzie-Jo to a ‘Pick and Pay’ supermarket to do a bit of light grocery shopping. I think they were a bit amused at how astounded I was by the size and order of the place, especially considering this was a much smaller ‘Pick and Pay’ relative to others. I guess it was a good intro to the next ‘Pick and Pays’ we would go to later on in my visit. The next day, I went with Noel to pick up Jordan from school and got to meet his teacher who, after ever so formally dismissing her students from class, chatted briefly with us afterwards, giving me my first taste of what a real Africaans accent sounds like. It was rather funny when she asked me if I’d gotten a chance to visit any of the high schools around the area…thinking I was 15 or so. kkkk Some one please tell me, should I have been flattered or insulted? Either way we had a good laugh.
4. Afternoon site seeing. Over the course of my stay in Cape Town, I went on several afternoon trips out with Noel and the kids. One of my favorite outings was a walk along Clifton Beach, an area with the most expensive real estate in South Africa (and quite possibly the world) and most incredible beaches I have ever seen. It has an incredible boulder lined shore of white sand and deep purple muscle shells. At first sight this place could make anyone’s jaw drop. Jeez..Never before have I seen kelp that size! As we walked along the beach, scaling rocks and hunting for shells, the adventure became increasingly interesting as we passed a whole slew of people shooting what appeared to be a commercial. We couldn’t help but chuckle watching them mimic one beach party after another, take after take after take. My favorite part was the two fat white guys dancing between a Brazilian flag with their shirts off. Kkkkkk
5. Aside from all the new sights, sounds, and people of Cape Town, it was the time I was able to spend with far distanced family I that has meant the most. Having spent the first 18 years of my life getting to know one side of the family, it’s been a refreshing experience to take in the other. Seeing where my mother, aunts, and uncles went to university and spent their youthful days wind surfing and enjoying the Cape sun allows me to finally envision the stories they tell and continue to look back on. And in my opinion they chose/happened upon/were destined to the perfect place to do it. Besides that, I can’t say how wonderful it has been to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins on their turf instead of mine own (for once). Getting to see how they live from day to day has been a wonderfully refreshing experience for me…an experience which I feel I have learned a lot and enjoyed even more.
With so much to write about still, the more I think about it the more I am starting to think doing all this in one blog is not such a good idea. So instead of drawing out all my thoughts and experiences in one lengthy essay, I think I’ll just sum up with a little bit of what I’ve learned about South Africans themselves and leave the rest for another blog. So here goes:
South Africans! I’ve had the great opportunity and pleasure to gain a better understanding of the many people of South Africa. Here’s a sum up of what I’ve learned.
The Colonizers: Throughout the 13th through the 17th century, South Africa was occupied by a collection of foreign powers including the Portuguese, British and Dutch. Eventually after substantial fighting and compromise, it was the British and the Dutch that have retained their presence in the country to date in such a way that they seem equally integrated as Africans as they have remained foreign. (keep in mind this is purely my observation)
Afrikaans (basically Dutch with an African twist) is a language very alive in South Africa. You will still find provinces and communities that are majority Afrikans whose schools are taught in the language. On my trip from Cape Town to George I rode in a Minibus in which I was the only non-Afrikaner. At rest stops the driver spoke only in Afrikans, forgetting I was completely bemused by the language. (Though I thought about asking him what he was announcing to the group, as we wound into gas stations, I used enough common sense to assume the content: “Alright, everybody out and relieve yourselves! You got three minutes.”)
The Natives: The native people of South Africa are divided into three predominant groups, the Xhosas, the Zulus and the Sothos, which all retain unique cultural practices and traditions and maintain the majority in different geographic locations within the country. It is important to note that it is these groups that make up the poorest individuals within society…the ones living in townships (shantytowns) and working in the informal sector.
Xhosas: speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa. You will find the most notorious name in the Apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Miriam Makeba and Thabo Mbeki to name a few, all come from Xhosa decent. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/xhosa)
Aside from the white South Africans, Xhosa people are the main inhabitants of Cape Town. Hence my minimal exposure to native African knowledge, culture, and customs has been within the Xhosa tradition. During the time I spent with Noel and Bruce, I was able spend quite a bit of time getting to know Joyce, the super sheik young Xhosa woman that works for them during the week. Over the course of my stay we had a good time chatting about many things…countries, cultures, pop culture, family, religion, etc. Joyce is preparing to get married in October, so I enjoyed learning all about traditional Xhosa weddings….finding them to be surprisingly similar to many of the practices that go on in India. Towards the end of my stay Joyce started teaching me some Xhosa which I have discovered to be quite a difficult language for me. I can’t seem to get down the sounds made by the letters “X” and “Q” --both clicking noises made, one with your tongue and the other using your tongue and the roof of your pallet). Anyway, you know what they say about practice making perfect. Other exposure to the Xhosa culture has been through reading a book called “Khayelitsha” about this journalist (a white South African) named Steven Otter who decides to live in the township of Khayelitsha (a famous township in Cape town inhabited by mainly Xhosa people). He writes about his experience living in the township and how it affects his outlook on culture, society, and (of course) himself. I have really been enjoying this book, mostly because I have been able to relate to a lot of what he talks about when it comes to being completely immersed in a different culture and way of life.
Aside from Xhosas, the two other predominant groups are the Zulus (the largest ethnic group within South Africa living mainly in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/zulu)) and the Sothos (or Basothos) (a people who have apparently lived in South Africa since the 15th century. They formed and now govern the country of Lesotho…the land-locked country that lies completely within South Africa itself. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sotho_people))

Finally, their are those considered Coloreds: people with both african and european blood. Though things are beginning to change in terms of the status of all people within South Africa, it is still highly stratified with the 'whites' on top and the 'blacks' on the bottom. Colored people, as I'm sure you can guess find themselves in the middle. Still today they are considered to be above one and below the other. I founbd it interesting that following the Aparteid struggle, the government wanted to consider anyone with African blood as 'colored' no matter the percentage (be it 1% or 100%). When this was going on, it was apparently those of mixed blood that protested the idea...holding that they must not be categorized in the same way as those who were purely black.
So as you can see, in South Africa today, color is still a major defining factor of who you are and what you can do within society. People continue to be held back and pushed forward by racial divides that continue to prove themselves difficult to break. Seeing stereotypes and economic desparities that were imposed hundreds of years ago still existing today, makes one wonder if time is indeed always the answer to achieving lasting change....
And so my friends and family, that’s all I have to say for now on South Africa. Though I must say it has certainly been an adventure so far. So as I continue to build up my tolerance to many things, and get used to the fact that I’ve become sort of an obsessive environmentalist by western standards, I can’t help but feel so very, very lucky to be where I am today. Be well my friends and look for my next blog on the next third of my adventure in Glentana, the Cango Caves, the Karoo and more…good stuff I tell you. Beautiful things!

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Photos

horse made out of car exhasts
On my first Saturday in Capetown we ate lunch at a artisan/sculpture place that served lunch as well

caldis store
a store I ran into on Long Street down town Cape Town. Who knew we owned a store. Mom, Dad....??

Jordan on the harbor
cousin Jordan checking out the boats

Bruce and Noel
My aunt Noel and Uncle Bruce making their way to shelter from the breezy harbor wind

Suzie-Jo
eating a pomegranite