Student Project Perspectives

November 1, 2007

Week 2 - Exploring the City

Quite a welcome party

In talking to some of the people we met on the plane, we quickly learned that the night we were landing in Cape Town was the night of the final game of the Rugby World Cup. South Africa was playing England for the title. We arrived at the Big Blue, where we would be staying for the next 8 weeks, just in time to see the end of the game. As I was unpacking the things in my room I heard shouts from the lobby, the game was over, South Africa had won. At that moment I didn't really comprehend how big this victory really was for this country. That night the streets were packed with fans celebrating and shouts could be heard long into the night. It was truly an exciting way to spend our first night in Cape Town. A little over a week later we were able to attend the victory parade down the streets of Cape Town. The energy was similar to that when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. I think I am officially a Springbok (the South African team) fan now.

The Big Blue

We are staying in The Big Blue Backpackers Lodge. We all have our own double rooms and there is a large common area to hang out in. There is also a kitchen which we are allowed to use along with a small pool. The first floor is completely wireless and I'm pretty sure we look pretty ridiculous when all twenty-three of us are on our lap tops in the lobby. The connection speed definitely takes some getting used to. When downloading something from an email its important to have something else to do while you wait. The staff is great though and the lodge is in walking distance of water front which is full of stores and restaurants.

Time for work...

Day three brought the start of the work week. Together we all went to the main government building know as the Civic Center where we were greeted by a council woman of the mayor. She welcomed us to the city of Cape Town and officially thanked us on behalf of the mayor for the work that we are doing. We then met our liaisons and headed off to find out where we would be working for the next 8 weeks. Our office is located on the 10th floor of the Civic Center. Day one we were introduced to all 40 or so employees of the transportation department and we in turn introduced ourselves forty or so times. By the end of it we were getting pretty good at answering all the questions they would have asked before they asked them. The following days were filled with tours of the different transportation interchanges as well as the bus and rail stations. We also met Dr. Lloyd Wright, an expert in Bus Rapid transport, who will be spending the next two years working for the city of Cape Town and would become a valuable resource for us.

This isn't Africa!

I don't know if it can be blamed completely on the movie Lion King, but our generation generally does not look at Africa as having sky scrappers or shopping malls. The more time that we have spent in Cape Town the more we have begun to feel this just can't be Africa. The center of the city is full of large state of the art office buildings and extensive commercial areas. The waterfront is like that found in Baltimore with so much to do we still haven't been able to see it all. There are enough restaurants for us to go somewhere different every night for multiple weeks in a row. There is even a Toys R Us and multiple KFCs, Subways and McDonalds too. Once you are able to look past these things, though, it is quite obvious that this city isn't just another city in the United States. It is through our everyday interactions that we truly saw that we are in South Africa. Seeing the settlements and hearing the stories of those who live there everyday is extremely moving. It's important to point out they aren't just people who beg on the streets. There are employees in our lodge who we interact with everyday who live in the settlements. They are as much a part of the city as everyone else and that is one of the reasons Cape Town is so determined to make significant changes. With the World Cup being held here in 2010 Cape Town is definitely a city under reconstruction. It makes me really want to come back for a visit after 2010 to see how it all turned out.

Where do we start?

With weekend number one approaching, the decision had to be made of what to do first. Friday night we took in the night life of Cape Town. In case you were wondering, about 95% of the songs were definitely from American artists. Saturday we went and checked out one of the beaches know as Clifton Beach. Everywhere you go in Cape Town the landscapes are amazing. The beach was nestled in between two huge mountains and we had it basically all to ourselves. After seven weeks of extensive preparation, it was great to simply relax with nothing to worry about.

On Sunday we went to Robben Island which is one of the most historical locations in the city of Cape Town. It is about a 25 minute ferry ride from the waterfront and is the site where Nelson Mandela, future president of South Africa, was incarcerated for speaking out against apartheid. There were many other future leaders that were also incarcerated on Robben Island. Our tour guide was a past prisoner and was able to give us a first hand account of how life was within the walls of the maximum security prison. Besides the prison, Robben Island has an extensive history as a leaper colony as well and is also one of the best locations from which to photograph the city of Cape Town.

This week has definitely enforced that these eight weeks are going to be an unforgettable experience. There is so much to look forward to and I definitely will continue to share my experience.

Until next time...
-Nick