Kaitlyn fills each week to the fullest

First of all, we only have ten weeks left… TEN WEEKS! That’s it! It’s crazy to think that we’ve been here for more than a month already. All I can say is that I’ve never been so sure of any decision in my life as I am of the one that led me here. I cannot really even imagine being at UConn right now and am already not looking forward to going back to the everyday routine and endless stress that accompanies my life in Storrs, CT. Of course I miss the people there, but I already can tell that the adjustment back will require a conscious effort. I don’t mean to make my UConn life sound negative in any way, it just entails a different kind of busyness and life here is incredibly simpler, which has been a much needed change of pace. 

I don’t think I stopped smiling once this weekend, which goes to show how amazing life truly is. I’m appreciating everything, the small and the big, so much more while I’m here and hope that I will continue to do so when I return home. I’m definitely still struggling with the whole feeling of having two worlds— the one where I am a white, middle-class, privileged American and the one where I am that person in a world so dissimilar from those identifying characteristics that I’m conflicted about how to comfortably be myself. My co-educators and I are, for the most part, able to relate to the fact that talking about our fun weekends at our internships is not the easiest thing to do, knowing most of the people we are talking to could never afford what we did. 

This weekend started out with many of us eating our first pizza since arriving in Cape Town at a restaurant in Seapoint, celebrating Alex’s 21st birthday. We walked on the boardwalk under the stars after dinner and it was just such a picture perfect night (except for our confused Uber driver) filled with people I have come to love so much. 

Ashley, Shona, Laura T, and I went to Khayelitsha the next morning to begin discussing our activist project with Mams. She helps run a creche, or preschool, so that the children in the community have a safe place to take shelter from much of the sexual and criminal violence that occurs around them. There is so much need there; I cannot wait to get to know Mams and help make a difference in this area. Hopefully people from next years group are willing to continue working there, as there will still be so much more to do once we leave. 

Ethan, Rachele, Maddy, Laura T, Taylor, and I hiked Lion’s Head Saturday afternoon (the first time for me). It made me realize how out of shape I am (haha), but I was thankful that Taylor and Rachele enjoyed a slower pace up the mountain with me. The view from the top was incredible; it’s the type of hike I could (and want to) do every week and still never get sick of. There’s a cave in it somewhere, so that’s my next mission when I hike it. We went to the soccer stadium that night where the 2010 World Cup was held. We were able to sit right in the front and Bongi joined, bringing his crazy enthusiasm with him as always. I would definitely go back to watch another! Sunday began with a rainy morning and ended with some serious sunburns… a few of us went to Muizenburg Beach for the day to surf and it turned out to be THE perfect beach/surfing day. I stood up 3 or 4 times which I was so okay with, seeing as I thought I wouldn’t be able to at all!! The combination of hiking, surfing, and the sun has never left me so exhausted, but I wouldn’t trade all the amazing things we are doing here for anything. 

Although Alex already touched on this in her most recent blog post, I always feel like saying a little something about my internship because so much happens every week and there constant thoughts about it running through my head. Walking into Maitland Cottage this week presented us with the reality of the hospital we spend three days a week at. Children come and go, whether their stay is two weeks or nine months. We walked into the boys’ ward seeing many more new faces than we expected and with that, the disappearance of many familiar faces we had come to love and connect with. I agree with all of Alex’s concerns; we have no idea what life at home for many of these children look like and can only imagine after reading their charts and some of the reasoning behind their need for hospitalization/surgery. A majority of them come from townships and have little resources to return home to. It just makes me wonder if their physical state will continue to progress or worsen; do all the patients who receive physiotherapy at Maitland Cottage continue to work on their exercises at home? If they’re too young to know to do so on their own, do they have a responsible elder in their life that will help to ensure they stay on track? I remember talking to Sister Stougie, one of the head administrators and sisters at Maitland Cottage, our first week there when she told us that these children here have never been able to focus on anything but ‘surviving’ while living life at home. There are other aspects of life that become priorities as soon as they return home, pushing their physical and mental health aside. I also didn’t realize how thankful I would be to have another one of my co-educators at my internship with me until now. Having Alex there to share and understand so many of my daily actions and encounters makes so much of a difference— I have someone I can relate to on an entirely different level and bond with about one of the main aspects of this program. I’m also happy I have someone to share the two hour walk with each day!

We leave tomorrow for our human rights trip this weekend; I’m so so excited to see what it consists of and to meet new people from all over the continent! It’ll be an entirely new experience for me, with my almost non-existent human rights background, but that’s what makes this something to look forward to.