Anna finds the inner beauty of Cape Town

Anna drumming at Guga S’Thebe Arts & Cultural Centre in Langa

I can't believe that we have already been in Cape Town for 11 days. We've had experiences since landing that I never imagined I would, let alone all in such a short amount of time. During the first days of orientation we were exposed to the more touristy parts of Cape Town, the beautiful scenery, the water front, Robin Island and beyond. We've spent the past few days getting to know a different aspect of the city that not all visitors are exposed to. We visited parts of the townships on Friday, including some “informal settlements.” These areas are made up of families that were forcibly removed from the districts during apartheid, their homes destroyed. We visited the home where Vernon grew up, where he introduced us to his mother. Many of us continued to struggle with the fact that we were “touring” these areas, stepping off our grand coach bus with a tour guide, and looked at with almost celebrity status by those who lived in the townships while not really having much interaction with the people.

On Saturday we toured wine country, visiting two vineyards, tasting wine seeing yet another aspect of Cape Town on the never ending list of things that continue to make up its beauty. On Sunday, we attended one of my favorite parts of orientation so far, a Baptist Church service in Guguletu, entirely in Xhosa. The spirit that filled the church expressed through beautiful harmonies and dancing was incredible. We had the opportunity to hear Vernon preach as well. Sunday we spent the afternoon at Kirstinbosch Garden watching an outdoor Jazz concert. Monday we began touring internships, stopping for an hour at each one to understand where other students will be placed.

Through these tours, we have finally been exposed to the people of Cape Town, and I can say that I now understand what people mean when they say that Cape Town would be the most beautiful place in the world even without the ocean and mountains. At one internship stop the word “Nakanjani” was written on the wall. In Xhosa, this translates to “Against all odds.” The word struck me as a great representation of the struggle that many Capetonians have faced to be where they are today, and to continue to stand up day after day constantly facing adversity. Tomorrow we tour Beautiful Gate where I'll be interning, I'm exciting to finally see the place where I'll be spending the majority of my time for the next three months!