volunteering

We went around to different places we could volunteer. I'm thinking about working at this school where I make a class curriculum and teach twice a week, but it might conflict with my classes, so we’ll see.

We drove by the townships in the poorest and most dense area of the Western Cape. They consist of these shacks that are completely piled on top of each other, maybe the size of a bathroom, shakily made out of ribbed metal. The space is cramped and looks like a sea of color that goes on for miles. One of the interesting things about them is how they turn them into self-contained communities. One of these shacks will have a free wall and functions as a barbershop. Another area is a car wash (though I saw only two beat up cars the whole way). The other thing I thought was remarkable was the ways people made these spaces their own, and special despite the extreme poverty they live in. The shacks are painted hot pink and turquoise, and some of the walls are painted with great graffiti art.

When we got back I swam in a pool that’s just 15 feet away from the dorm we’re staying in for the time being and chilled in the sun. They’ve warned us multiple times about the disparity in Cape Town. A fifteen-minute drive takes you from one extreme end of the spectrum to the other. I’m definitely already starting to feel guilty for the privileges and luxuries I’m afforded here, as well as in America.

Highlights of the day: the kids! I climbed the best climbing-tree ever with a band of small African children who were more than a little familiar with the ropes. I then played with a girl that refused to let me stop throwing her into the air. Very classically, she would squeal just as loud the 22nd time I threw her as the 1st. Later a group of four young kids (guesstimated ages: 5, 6, 8, and 14) danced provocatively to Sweet Dreams by Beyonce while the oldest one sang it with mangled words. When I told them it was better than the pop star her self, the youngest girl’s jaw literally dropped with shock and proud joy.