Sarah I ponders "Who Am I?"

1/26 Sarah Isaacson

In Cape Town

Who am I to stand and watch

A fallen innocent cry for change?

Who am I to declare myself

A vessel that will save them all?

Who am I to be something other

Than a useless object displayed on a shelf?

Who am I to accept invisibility

To let my privilege relinquish responsibility?

Who am I in this place of poverty

Of anguish, fear, and rejection?

Who am I in this place built on the oppressed

Who share a forgotten story?

Who am I to be afraid

When so few have what I take for granted?

Who am I not to feel ashamed

For wanting to just be content with me?

Who am I to enjoy a coffee crush

To be irritated with a bus breakdown?

Who am I to enjoy the simple pleasures

When a tin roof, a single meal, is another human’s treasures?

Who am I to relish in the rising sun

When darkness claims so many?

Who am I to visit a museum

When those the apartheid affected are banned?

Who am I to be American

For my citizenship to grant me respect?

Who am I to complain about Trump

When I have the freedom to leave the country?

Who am I in this beautiful place

That was built on broken backs?

Who am I meant to be

When so few here are free?

2017 Sisters March

With our Sisters in Cape Town,

We march alongside the ones in DC,

We will not let that nasty man keep us down,

We will make the whole world see,

That the government is for the people,

That is serves to protect all walks of life,

Whom do not all bow to the same steeple,

Whose various colours and genders face never-ending strife.

For we march not only for the female-identified,

But for the oppressed all over the world,

For those whose Justice has never tried,

For the colours that cannot be swirled,

With the ideologies of white supremacy,

With the corporate and big business goals,

With the crippling reign of patriarchy,

With every thought, opinion, and culture they stole.

We march for the Obamas,

Who gave the racially divided world hope.

We march for the Latino and Latinas,

Whose government is tying the noose of their rope.

We march for the indigenous peoples,

Whose significance was lost with violence and fear.

We march for the bald eagle,

Whose freedom call is meant for all to hear.

We live in a world where not all are equal,

Where privilege and social norms win,

Where Trump aims to write, “America: The Prequel,”

So back hundreds of years the clocks will spin,

Where we are forced into eras of regression,

Where progress once gained is forgotten,

Where all different are thrown into submission,

Where the sacred tree of life begins to rotten.

But we will not send women back to the home,

We will not stand for Blacks being enslaved,

We will not allow Muslims to be hunted with a fine-tooth comb,

We will not let indigenous be buried in federal graves.

We will learn from our past mistakes,

We will let our cultures intertwine and create,

A world that can be claimed as unified and great,

Where together we fight and believe that love trumps hate.

Sarah bottom row, far right

Sara W's first two weeks in Cape Town have been amazing

Thus far I have had the most amazing experience in Cape Town. I can't imagine how much more I will experience in the next 3 months here. Although I've already learned and done so much, Cape Town isn't exactly how I expected it to be. Before coming over 7,000 miles from home, I tried to come without any expectations and an open mind. Even though I wasn't expecting much there have been a few things here in Cape Town that have surprised me.

First, the most shocking thing for me has been seeing how extraordinary the disparity is between the poor and the rich in the area. On certain streets you can drive down and see nice houses on one side of the road, while there is informal housing or townships on the opposite side.

Also, I had no idea there would be such an enormous amount of informal settlements. It is awful seeing the conditions in which some people have to live in. It makes me especially sad when I see families that are homeless. The other day when a couple friends and I were walking to Woolworths (the local grocery store), we passed a homeless family. The father was going through trash cans looking for recyclables while his wife walked alongside him and he rolled his two young children in a beaten up small shopping cart. This is just one of the many homeless families I have encountered in the past couple of weeks. It is typical here to see people sleeping on random street corners and beggars on the street. It shocked me when a homeless man came up to me for the first time and simply asked for my leftovers. Now I know that this is a normal experience here because of how many times people have asked me for food or my leftovers. I have yet to turn someone down for food, but there have been a couple times I wasn’t able to give people money, which is extremely difficult. This is because I know I am so lucky to be in the position that I am in and the homeless person asking for money will never have as much privilege as I do. Every day on this trip I feel like the luckiest person in the world because of how fortunate I am.

I feel that orientation did a great job of incorporating a lot of what Cape Town has to offer in a short, exciting two weeks. I've learned so much already not only through meeting locals, but by going to the District 6 Museum, the Slave Lodge, the Transcending Slave History Tour, and the Sivuyile Baptist Church. My favorite experience so far was going to the Sivuyile Baptist Church because even though the people who go to the church come from such poor areas, they were in high spirits and so kind to us. I have never felt so united with other people around me that I had just met.

I also loved going to see my internship for the first time. I wasn’t exactly sure what I would be doing before except for the fact that I would be working at City Mission Educational Services. This school has 130 students that weren’t able to make it in mainstream schools. The school recognizes that everyone has different ways of learning and caters to each individual students learning needs. Now that I found out more details I can’t wait to start working there on Monday!

Regarding the new presidency in the US, I have gotten many questions from people in Cape Town about my opinion on Trump. Every time you tell someone you are from America it is the first question they have to ask. To my surprise, whether white or black, the people I have encountered here have told me they would have voted for Trump and think that his new approach is a good idea for our country. When I questioned why they were Trump supporters they actually didn’t know much about him at all and were shocked to hear that he is not the person they thought he was.

As a whole, the first two weeks here in Cape Town have been amazing. Everyone is so welcoming and thankful for what they have even if they do not have much at all. I’m so excited to make more connections with people who grew up in such different backgrounds from me. I also look forward to learning more about Cape Town’s history and current political and social state!

Taylor's expectations of Cape Town have been exceeded more than she could have imaged

Over the past two weeks, Cape Town has exceeded my expectations more than I could have imagined!  It feels like we’ve been here for so long already, but I know there are so many more experiences to come.  Our two weeks of orientation are coming to an end, but I think they were the perfect way to transition from life at UConn to our new home away from home in Cape Town. Vernon and Marita showed us so many beautiful beaches, fun restaurants, interesting communities, and even a sunrise on the top of Signal Hill that meant we all had to wake up at 4:30 (SO worth it). 

 

Sunrise on Signal Hill was so worth it:
Rachele, Laura G, Anna, Alex, Taylor, Sarah, Katherine, Claire, Maddy, Karen
Ashley, Kaitlyn, Rav, Shona, Erica, Laura T, Sara

Without a doubt, the most rewarding parts of orientation were those experiences that I know none of us would ever do on our own.  We spent several of the days visiting some of the townships, which are some of the poorest but most populated places in the city.  I knew that many people lived in poverty in these townships, but I definitely did not expect the volume of informal housing.  The houses are often single rooms formed out of sheets of corrugated iron, and they’re packed tightly together in communities that seem to go on for miles.  Seeing these settlements and the people who live in them is so humbling because it is a reality that we never experience in the United States.  The most surprising part of these townships to me was how welcoming each person was to us as simply strangers and as privileged Americans.  It would be so easy for them to resent us coming in to their community because of our similarity to those who oppressed them, but when we visited a church service in Gugulethu they welcomed us with open arms.  While the service was predominantly in Xhosa, I felt like we could understand them solely from their emotions and warmth towards us, and I felt accepted even though we clearly stuck out as Americans.  The people’s willingness to educate and share their culture with us has been a defining characteristic of Cape Town to me so far.

After orientation I am most looking forward to starting my internship at Eros School! I am lucky enough to be shadowing Esme, Vernon’s wife, and I cannot wait to interact with the students and faculty and learn more about the education system in Cape Town.  There is no doubt that my experience in Cape Town has been positive and exciting thus far, although daily there are many questions from locals about our politics back in the United States. All I can say is that I am proud that together we all participated in the Women’s March in Cape Town, showing our support of women and oppressed people all over the world.  Overall, I am so interested in and impressed with the abundance of cultures and languages and personalities that Cape Town has to offer, and I cannot wait to learn more about its history during our classes with Vincent, Vernon, and Marita. 

Laura G noticing the spirit of the people and how nice everyone is

When I first arrived in Cape Town, the first thing I noticed was the intense hustle and bustle of the city. Getting off the plane, we were hit with a rush of warm air and it was beautiful! It was surreal to finally be here after 24 hours of traveling. This city is truly incredible and I’m overwhelmed by the array of opportunities I’ll have while I’m here. Everyday we wake up and look at Table Mountain, and it’s a reminder of how immensely lucky I am to be here in the first place.

One amazing thing I noticed was the spirit of the people here. People here are nicer. People stop to say hello and greet you, and that’s refreshing coming from the US. Especially when it’s in such a divided state.

Walking around the city, you see all different kinds of people coming from all different socioeconomic backgrounds. There’s a lot more people begging and living on the streets, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. South Africa has an intense, rich history. The more we learn about the history, the more fascinated I am by the people here. The scars of apartheid are still very physically present in the city, but the spirit of the people has remained strong and determined. I wish I could help everyone I see. Thankfully, my fellow co-educators and myself are placed at awesome internships that can hopefully make a difference, even if it’s small.

I’m very excited to see where my journey over the next three months takes me. I’m learning so much about myself and about people in general. I can’t wait to explore this beautiful city and meet people. I also hope I accomplish the goals I mapped out before I came here. It’s still hard to believe I’ll be here for three months!

Almost every person who knows we’re American has asked us about Trump. Taxi drivers, our bus driver, and random shopkeepers have asked us about Trump and our feelings on him. I cannot put into words my dissatisfaction with that man. Participating in the women’s march in Cape Town showed me how strong people can be when they ban together against a common cause. People have the right to protest, and they can’t stay silent if they want to protect their rights. I’m glad I was away for the inauguration, and I suppose being asked about Trump is something I’ll need to get used to, unfortunately.