What a weekend! I couldn't have had two more different experiences this weekend. The contrast between the two events I attended could not have been more stark. Yesterday, I went to Old Biscuit Mill which is a weekly semi-outdoor market that was all white people. The food was absolutely delicious. The decorations were beautiful and organic, and it was a beautiful day to spend a Saturday morning. I went with two of my friends, Arianna and Emily, and a lot of other people on our program were there. I tried lots of different dips and chocolates, and bought a macaroon, stir fry, and a potato pancake with two poached eggs on it topped with hollandaise sauce and chives. Each dish was more delicious than the next. I also bought a few bagels (the only bagel store in Cape Town is in Sea Point where all the Jews live). We perused a few art stores and made our way through the vintage/handmade clothing tent. I got out only buying one thing if you can believe it.
After we got home yesterday, our group went to a beautiful place called Signal Hill. It overlooks the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. It was super windy but a great way to end the day. We sat and talked on the side of the mountain/hill as the sun set over the ocean. Robben Island was also visible from the top of the hill.
For today's big adventure we attended a restaurant (if you can call it that...) called Mzoli's. I don't really know how to put this experience into words so bear with me...It is basically a meat market that is in township called Guguletu. We arrived around 11:30 am and didn't get our food until around 2:00 pm. Our RA (his name is Buhle and he is from Soweto) went to order the "meat" (unclear what kind of meat it was) and while we waited for almost three hours, we went outside and bought drinks and chips from local suppliers. There were beggars all over asking for what was left of our beers and money. There were also people selling hats, sunglasses, and glasses made out of old beer bottles. My favorite was the shop next door to Mzoli's that specialized in haircuts and shoe repairs. The food arrived in a huge bucket...pork, sausage, chicken, steak, etc...and everyone in our group (around 30 of us) attacked it with our hands. The food was good but it was unclear whether or not it was completely cooked. One of my friends got sick about 15 minutes after consuming the mystery meat. The sauce on the chicken was great and would have been delicious on a fully cooked piece of boneless chicken breast. We finished eating around 2:45 and by this point a lot of us were ready to go as the smoke was stinging our eyes and it was crowded and really loud. Buhle was planning on staying until 5:00 pm but we convinces Eva, the other RA, to allow some of us to go home early. A great experience, but a huge, huge culture shock.
It has been so interesting to see such different economic and social situations existing side by side here in South Africa. I don't think it would be so apparent if I was just visiting as opposed to living here, but it is clear that the country is very divided. It also doesn't seem like most of the white residents notice it as much as I do, but being from a country where race is such a sensitive issue it is pretty shocking to be here and see how different it really is. Being the minority as a white person is something I've never experienced. It's also really hard to express in writing what I've seen here and how it feels. I will try to articulate my thoughts better next time I update the blog.
More thoughts to come later, but for now, happy last night of summer vacation to me!
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