Our Very Own Half Marathon

On Friday night, after our first day of classes, we went to Big Bash, a huge outdoor party put on by UCT in the middle of Green Market Square downtown. The DJ was great, everyone was dancing, and, best of all, they had an entire stage devoted to table tennis. Brittany and I barely lost to my friend Mitch and his friend David when I missed the table on a clutch shot. I will never forgive myself. Of course, I made myself feel better with a good ol’ fashioned face painting.

Saturday, I went kayaking with some girls from IES and CIEE in Simon’s Town, farther down the coast on the Indian Ocean. The beaches there are breathtaking and the water temperature is perfect, but they take quite a long time to get to on crowded trains. It’s worth it in the end, but I can’t keep myself awake during those long rides. I suppose that extra sleep is well-received by every part of me besides my impatience. I met some new faces and had the opportunity to snorkel, swim, and bask in the Indian Ocean waters. Then, of course, we stopped for fish and chips (which I didn’t know until now are actually fries) for lunch.

Right when I got back Saturday, I changed clothes, washed my face, and ran to the Jammie stop to catch a lift to Sunset Jam, another UCT sponsored concert at a park in Newlands. It was right out of Woodstock. We walked through a clearing to this open span of lawn and right up to Bob Marley’s identical twin and his band jamming away to an eager, hippie audience. Of course, the short and sweet evening included a human train singing “don’t worry about a thing”. We left in good spirits and went for a wonderful dinner at Café Sofia.

On Thursday, after Sax Appeal, I went to coffee with Sierra, who is from California but now married to a South African ex-pro tennis players and lives in Cape Town. It was so great to spend time with her and see the worlds collide in the span of 2 hours. On Sunday Sierra picked me up at 6 am and drove me to Sea Point, right on the ocean front. With her running group, we ran 22 kilometers (roughly 13.6 miles) up the coast, to Camps Bay and then back to our cars. I was thrilled to be able to run by the ocean, and she was great company, telling me all about her brilliant life in Cape Town and elsewhere.

Then, we had breakfast with her husband Lenny and Lenny’s parents Lynne and “Len”. They taught me so much about South African life and recent history. I asked them about the effect of the Apartheid on everyday life here and for the different populations throughout South Africa. It’s amazing to compare it to American history because here everything is very new and the ramifications are still very evident today. You don’t need a textbook to learn about it; you just need a few friendly South Africans and a great muesli breakfast.