Change is Here!

On Monday I did a little aqua jogging in the indoor pool at UWC.  It was SOOOO COLD.  The heat pump was broken, and I knew that, but I decided to give it a go any way and jumped in.  I expected that as I started moving I would get warmer.  I was wrong.  I got out when the last of my fingers and toes went numb.  The pool building doesn't have hot water showers, so I sprinted home to a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, and a long, hot shower.  Then I spent the rest of the day with all of my warm clothes on.  While I stand by my previous statements that winter here is nicer than many summer days I've seen in Oregon, I was so cold!

FOOD PHOTO

Monday night we went to another soccer game, this time with other UWC students.  One kid, originally from Cameroon, was a member of the team before he tore his hamstring and so we got a scathing commentary.  It was entertaining to get the insider's point of view of the players, although I will take most of his comments with a grain of salt.  After the game he talked a girl into giving her hat to Anna.  He's on the good list.

An added bonus of sitting with locals was that they could figure out what the songs and chants were about.  Most of the songs were in support (and organized by) the student political party that is currently in power at UWC.  I am a little unclear on how the politics on campus work, and weather or not the student political parties are a national thing or just at UWC, but I'm working on finding someone who can tell me.
One night weeks ago Anna and I met a man who was a member of the ruling party.  He was waiting to talk to the owner of the connivence store at my building, which is privately owned, for a donation to support a charity event on Mandela day that his party was hosting.  When we asked him why the store would give him money for this project, he told us that his organization had a lot of power and if the store owner did not donate enough he would be forced to leave.  This sounded a little harsh to Anna and I, but maybe this kind of thing happens in Wooster, and we just don't know....  I'll have to investigate when I get back.
Anna witnessed another political moment on a walk after the game.  The dorm behind us was having a meeting and instead of all going to the lounge at 8, their RA stood in the central courtyard with a megaphone, and everyone came to their window to listen and vote.  Kinda cool!

I have been spending a lot of time recently being frustrated with how isolated UWC is from Cape Town and Bellville, but going to the game and learning about different political structures and practices is interesting too.  I have to remember to keep my eyes and ears open!

THIS IS WHERE THE CHANGE BEGINS:

On Tuesday night I got a call telling me that my request to move to Mowbury had been approved!  I was shocked.  So I packed up all of my stuff again, and hired a driver to move me in to my new apartment.  I am so excited, this is definitely a game changer.  Now I can walk to the store, or to book shops or to cafes and interact with people along the way.  For the first time I feel like I am living in Cape Town.  My apartment feels like home.  I am so excited to make the most of the rest of my time here.  I never thought I would actually get approval to move, and I am so grateful!  My program directors went out of their way to make this possible for me, and luckily, all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place at exactly the right moment.

The only drawback of my new situation is that my internet access is now a bit limited.  I am going to try to continue posting regularly, but most likely this blog will transition to fewer, longer posts.

Lots of Love from Cape Town!