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I oversaw a team of six fieldworkers and one fieldwork supervisor. The work allowed me to walk around Khayelitsha and see it from the perspective of a local, which is not something most tourists can experience. I would go into the township once a week to compare notes and meet with the supervisor. The fieldworkers would walk from street to street, looking for any indications of an alcohol outlet (also known as shebeen, taverns, umqombothi). Sometimes, the symbol was just an empty bottle sitting in a driveway. The study has just ended, but my superior stated there is a possibility of me working on the final paper where I could be published. Additionally, I will be continue my work as a researcher and help with small research projects when needed. This opportunity has given me some valuable managerial skills and improved my quantitative background, as I had to work with cleaning data. It was a fantastic and valuable professional experience.
Faced with five weeks of holiday, I knew I needed something to fill my time. I saw an advertisement for a combined UCT and London School of Economics July School. It was a two week course that ran every day from 9 until 4. I saw they were offering a class called "Poverty and Development" so I applied and was accepted. After embarking on the aforementioned two week, I started the course. It was truly a wonderful experience. There were students and working professionals from all over the world, engaging in a myriad of different subjects. Our professors were young, recent PhD candidates from the London School of Economics who conducted research in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The class was less lecture-based and more interactive, which was probably my favorite part. The photo to the left was taken in Khayelitshsa, one of South Africa's largest informal townships. We were taken to the informal settlements, which are largely made up of tin shacks. A local NGO took us around and showed us the deplorable state of the sanitation facilities, where up to five families at a time are sharing one port-a-potty. This was my first time in Khayelitsha, and I am grateful I was able to see the town from a local perspective, rather than through a tourist-trap situation. In addition to our field trip, we had daily seminars where we had to structure our own NGO, discuss how to best prevent poverty-driven conflict and debate the merits of our current international development schemes. At the end of our two weeks, we were taken out to a program-wide dinner as a congratulations. It was such a fantastic learning experience, and I found myself completely engaged in the material. The professors were helpful and attentive, I spent three hours discussing the benefits of pursuing a PhD route and the positives/negatives when one is interested in the non-profit development world. It was a wonderful educational and professional development experience, and I would highly recommend it to any Americans, working or studying, who are looking to spend a few weeks abroad!
My first opportunity to travel came during our mid-Semester Break. I had ten days off to celebrate Easter and relax from my first few weeks of classes. A friend of mine that I met at UCT asked me to join her on the Garden Route, a popular path for tourists which is known for its beauty and mild climate. The time limit only allowed us to visit George, Knysna and Wilderness, but we still managed to check some crucial items off the bucket list. The Garden Route is known for the myriad of outdoor activities and animals available. My friend and I spent our first day at an ostrich farm, where I was allowed to ride an ostrich. Fun fact: in order to keep the ostrich calm while I climb aboard, they keep a bag over its head. As soon as they whip the bag off his head, he (and you) are off running. I managed to stay on for about six seconds before falling off. That delicious looking chunk of meet in the bottom left corner would be my somewhat morally gray decision to eat ostrich immediately afterwards. Aside from the ostrich farm we also explored the Cango Caves and played with the elephants and zebras.
We then spent one night in Knysna (bottom right) which is known for its glorious oysters. Knysna is has beautiful ocean views and seafood. Finally, our last stop was in the quaint beach town of Wilderness (top left). In Wilderness, we played with lemurs and saw some African cats in captivity. Overall, it was a short but sweet trip that allowed me to venture outside of lovely Cape Town for a few days. Extremely excited to see more of the country (and especially some cats in the wild!) Cape Town is a beautiful city surrounded by nature. The stark mountains and ocean views has also made it one of the most popular cycling cities. The biggest cycling event in Cape Town is the Cape Argus, an annual ride which occurred March 6, 2016. The Argus has been hosted by my Rotary Club of Claremont, and they needed all the help they could get. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday assisting the club with the catering, and even had the opportunity to fire the starting race gun! I woke up at 4AM on the day of the race and rode over to the event with a Rotarian. We spent the morning preparing breakfast for all of the volunteers, and then we could sit back and watch the race before the lunch rush. The event attracts riders from all over the world of all ages and costumes (yes, costumes).
My decision to attend UCT was relatively last minute, with the final acceptance of my scholarship only being confirmed a few weeks before my departure date. The last-minute aspect of the trip made finding housing somewhat difficult, especially due to UCT's housing department pushed at capacity. I decided to use South Arica's version of Craigslist known as Gumtree. This website is frequently used by students, but often puts you at risk for scammers. I thought I would include some of the more ridiculous inquiries I received. I am very aware of the position of privilege I am in, especially coming from the United States. As an American, I had to be incredibly cautious with touring homes. Also, from a marketing point of view, I do not think I will ever understand why the landlord sent me the bottom right photo. The house I ended up finding was the perfect fit. Located right by lower campus, it is a 20 minute walk to class. I live in a side cottage off a main house with one other UCT student, a Masters student from Pretoria (which is the capitol of South Africa. The house is well secured and includes a living room and kitchen. Its a 15 minute walk from the closest shops and 15 minutes driving from downtown Cape Town. The ideal situation!
My adventures in Cape Town began mid-flight. I was halfway across the Atlantic Ocean and Ghana when I realized I had scheduled my hotel, and notified my host Rotary club to pick me up, on the wrong day. The 36 hour flight and 10 hour time difference had successfully confused me, as well as my parents. Thankfully, my father discovered our mistake in time and notified Rotary and set up lodging for me. After arriving a little worse for wear, I was met by three Rotarians: JJ, Tom and Helene. JJ and Tom belong to my host club in Claremont, while Helene is the Global Grant Scholar Coordinator for my host club's district. The Rotarians made me feel right at home. We had our first meet up a few days after my arrival, and I was introduced to a number of Rotarians from around the district, as well as the other Global Grant Scholars. The next few days were spent registering for classes and getting organized. UCT has had a tumultuous past year (something I'll touch on in a later post), and it significantly hindered the faculty's ability to prepare for the start of the school year. I was caught off guard with some new changes to the program, including an unforeseen required class (Theories of International Relations) and semester class requirements. After a few days of administrative difficulties, I had my final schedule:
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AuthorI am a 22 year old female studying Honours International Relations at the University of Cape Town for the 2016 school year. Archives
December 2016
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