As I am sitting here in the Cape Town Int’l Airport and thinking
back on the past month, it is remarkable how much has happened. I have
completed my Independent Study Project/Thesis entitled NPO Behaviour in the Context of Changing Funding Landscapes, lived
in the Tekwini Backpackers in Durban for a month, lived in Cape Town for 11
days and have had to say goodbye to some of the most interesting people whom I
have ever met in one of the most beautiful, diverse and – for lack of a better
word (and really, I tried to find one)- fucked up places I have ever been.
South Africa has stolen my heart. This is the first place where I have
seriously contemplated missing my flight and staying indefinitely. I suppose I
should back up and tell you about my last month in Durbs.
Before I moved into the backpackers, I had an incredibly limited
perception of Durban. I had only experienced what SIT had specifically designed
for us to experience in the townships, the waterfront, the shopping centers, etc.
While a main point of the trip was certainly to experience life as Zulu South
Africans do, you do not actually experience the inequalities and are unable to
truly identify them, understanding their complexities, without seeing the other
sides (white, Indian, coloured, immigrant, etc). I was one of six lucky
students to spend time in Chatsworth with the Indian population and one of four
lucky enough to stay in the Backpackers during ISP period. SIT did not want us
to stay in the backpackers because they have an active bar and it is a place
where students could easily get into trouble, especially students from the U.S.
who have just began drinking legally. For me, this reasoning was absurd and I
argued vehemently to stay in the backpackers where I was finally making local
friends and experiencing the many sides of South Africa. The Backpackers was truly
a melting pot of all colours and all nationalities. Luckily, I am quite
persuasive when I want to be and was granted permission to stay in the
backpackers for the month of November. While this created a divide between
myself (and the three girls who stayed with me) and the rest of the group, who
was content to sit in the beachfront flats on their laptops and Facebook
friends from home, I was quite willing to make that sacrifice. I’m an
adventurer and it took me awhile to find my footing in Durban, but when I found
my fellow-adventure buddies, the experience really took off.
This was the best month in Durban. I stayed in a four-person room
with Nina (who is from Boston and you will certainly meet), Katie and Janelle.
We shared a kitchen, living area and bathroom with another single room that two
guys shared. This apartment was separated from the main building of the Backpackers
and was therefore perfectly conducive to studying. The Backpackers had a great
pool with benches surrounding it, a comfortable lounge area when the days got
cold and a pool table. My typical day would involve taking a taxi or mini-bus
taxi to an interview, returning to the Backpackers, putting my bathing suit on
and working by the pool while tanning. The poolside was perfect for studying
because during the day all of the people passing through were either off
sightseeing or had moved on; we basically had the place to ourselves with VH1
classics playing in the background. The Backpackers held a Braai (South African
BBQ) on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, were you would have to buy meat while
they would provide rolls and salads. This was a great way to have a cheap meal,
meet fascinating people and unwind after a long day of report writing. Aside
from all of this, the people at the Backpackers were absolutely wonderful. It
is also a local hotspot for Durbanites to come play pool, braai and just chill.
This was really fun and a great way to meet people who weren’t leaving after a
few days. We made many really wonderful friends and it was so sad to say
goodbye. Our favourite two guys who work there, Ben and Wati, both got up at 6
AM to say goodbye to us! I am very fortunate that I have a nerdy obsession with
my ISP topic because otherwise it would have been quite difficult to motivate
myself, but I actually finished two days early and never felt stressed or
overwhelmed by it. I am more than happy to send it along to anyone who is
interested in reading it. I haven’t received a grade yet, but have received
some great feedback and suggestions to attempt to publish it. We shall see.
I want to tell you all about my most fascinating interview with an
Organizational Development Practitioner. This woman’s job is to facilitate
interactions between organizations (NGOs, NPOs, CBOs, Donors, etc). As a former
founder and director of two NGOs, she realized that there was no longer a need
for more organizations; the need is rather in the form of facilitation, collaboration
and connectivity. South Africa has over 150, 000 registered non-profit
organizations (NPOs) and over 50 000 unregistered ones (approximately). Despite
this, HIV/AIDS is still endemic in KwaZulu Natal, unemployment is astronomical,
poverty is rampant and preventable non-communicable diseases are increasing.
The complexity of aid delivery is clearly evident, as elicited in my favourite
Paul Farmer quote, “Doing good is never simple”. This is the essence of my
Independent Study Project and if you find this interesting, please contact me
about reading my paper. I would love feedback or discussions on it!
On December 1 (World AIDS Day!) we flew to Cape Town. This was a
very sad goodbye and we were quite late for the taxi because we didn’t want to leave
the Backpackers. Thula, our driver/lifesaver/Zulu-program-assistant picked up
the other students at their flats and specifically drove past the Backpackers
because he had a feeling we wouldn’t want to leave. And he was right; we
weren’t out at the taxi when he arrived, 15 minutes past when we were supposed
to leave. We did have a “valid” excuse, we were getting music from Wati!
We were quite busy in Cape Town for the first five days with the
group giving presentations and doing touristy explorations of the city. I
really hate travelling in such a large group and many of the students were so
ready to go back to the U.S. that it wasn’t very fun. It’s amazing how many
people did not enjoy South Africa. They really didn’t try at all though, so I
don’t feel sorry for them. On the fifth, we separated from the group and myself
and five others went to stay in a Backpackers on Long Street. This was a very
cool place, albeit the local vibe that Tekwini had. The best part of this place
was their rooftop bar and huge rooftop lounge area that had an amazing view of
the city. After a few days, it was down to four of us, myself, Chloe, Casey and
Alie. We had a great time exploring the city, went surfing twice and overall
had a wonderful experience.
We went surfing at Muizenberg Beach, about 40 minutes outside of
town. This was a wonderful spot that is known as one of the best beginner
surfing beaches in the world. Apparently there are a lot of sharks, but we all
survived! You only live once, right? I also really wanted to go paragliding and/or
skydiving but I refrained (this time). Another highlight of Cape Town was
meeting up with one my old Franklin friends who graduated two years ago. He is
a really great South African guy who lives in the “Beverly Hills of South Africa”
(his words). We went to some really eclectic-hidden treasure restaurants and
had a great time catching up. There is just something about being around
Frankliners that reminds you how no one else can compare. We are a unique breed,
but I love it. It does make it hard to make lasting friendships with
non-Frankliners.
As I stood with my Franklin friend, Jacques, on the rooftop of the
hostel last night, we were talking about the uniquely African smell that South
Africa has, that Switzerland, Europe and the U.S. don’t. It’s weird; they don’t
smell. Even the grocery stores are sterile, as though the people are
disconnected from the places that they live in and the nature that should be
innately connected to our beings. I have really learned to relax since I’ve
been here, to enjoy life and to not sweat the small stuff. While I am still
impassioned and excited to work in the global health and development fields, I
am beginning to understand the importance of enjoying life and taking time for
myself. While looking out over the city, we talked about the overwhelming
amount of hope that South Africans possess. While South Africa has a plethora
of corruption, inequalities and horrific injustices, most people see South
Africa as a land of promises, where dreams can really become realities.
Following Nelson Mandela, or Madiba, his clan name’s death, many said that the
country would either erupt into mass civil unrest or be united by his memory. I
have overwhelmingly seen the latter. Everywhere you go, there are signs, people
remembering, people talking, all surrounding Madiba and his legacy. I passed a
billboard on my way to the airport that had a picture of Madiba on it and said,
“Hamba Kahle Tata, although you are gone, your dreams live on in all of
us”. Hamba Kahle Tata means Go Well,
Father. Madiba’s legacy is incredible. I
have never seen anything like it, anywhere in the world and in any history
book. It is impossible to describe the hope that he provides people, even in
his passing. Madiba passed away the day our program ended. It was a strange
feeling, to have our time in South Africa officially end on the same day that
Madiba’s did.
Before leaving for Cape Town, Durbanites kept telling us that while
Cape Town is more visually beautiful, Durbs is more authentic. While I tend to
agree with this, as in Cape Town you meet more international people than South
Africans, Cape Town is the most diverse, eclectic and cosmopolitan city I’ve
ever been to. I have had the best food, conversations and experiences since
I’ve been here and I was really only experiencing it for five days. Every night
there are impromptu live bands, eclectic restaurants, and diversity around
every corner. As South Africans would say, it’s a really vibey city. The city
has an incredible mix of traditional Xhosa, Zulu and other tribal vibes and
design with a fabulous European flourish. South Africa, and Cape Town in
particular is truly a melting pot, in all of the ways that the U.S. was
established or anticipated to be.
After just four months, I feel such a sense of connection to South
Africa and a feel a resounding sense of pride whenever I see the South African
flag waving. Aside from its awesome colours, the flag represents the plight of
the underdog, the incredible adversity that the South African people overcame.
It’s really incredible how this country transformed, and while it still has a
long way to go, Mandela created this brilliant atmosphere that enabled people
to acknowledge those proverbial elephants in the room, which is really the only
way to overcome them. South Africans are blunt about their race issues, blunt
about the vast problems the country faces- corruption, nepotism, and much more.
But they are also blunt about their past. Mandela and Desmond Tutu’s Truth and
Reconciliation Commission are somewhat representative of how South Africa
addresses and overcomes its problems.
This was a fascinating time to be in South Africa, with the death of
the legacy, Madiba and the crossroads that South Africa is now facing. With a
huge election coming up next year, it will be great to see what South Africa
decides. Is the country at a point where it can become a true democracy and
elect a party aside from the ANC? Will the ANC split up into two different
parties, one more socialist in nature than the other? Will the DA take over?
South Africa is certainly the place to watch and as I spent my last day surfing
at Muizenburg, eating the best Argentinian food of my life with four great
friends and relaxing on the rooftop overlooking the city and signal hill, I
cannot wait to return in the near future.
I’m going to leave you with a few of my favourite Mandela quotes:
·
“A good head and a good heart
are always a formidable combination.”
·
“There is no passion to be
found in playing small- in settling for a life that is less than the one you
are capable of living.”
·
“For to be free is not merely
to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the
freedom of others.”
·
“No one person is born hating
another person because of the color of their skin, or his background, or his
religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be
taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s
opposite.”
·
“There is nothing like
returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you
yourself have altered.”
