windy houses (cape town)

Jim and I have made a few good friends here in Cape Town with backgrounds similar to ours - have lived most of their lives in rich countries; have college degrees; have good jobs; traveled outside of their own country a few times, etc.

We've also made a few friends with very different backgrounds. I thought it might be interesting for you readers to hear the bits and pieces we've learned about what life is like for people living in South Africa without the resources (rich country, education, good job, etc.) we have.

I don't mean to tell heart-wrenching human interest stories or make any big political point (beyond promoting education) with this blog post, rather just wanted to record some of the things I've observed this year that haven't made it here on the blog yet. We've met some truly wonderful people, and I'm sure another year in this strange place will lead to even deeper understanding. I encourage you to read up on both the Shine Center and Grassroot Soccer, which I describe below - both do good work here, and if you're interested in donating any money, every non-profit can always use some.

Bernadette
Bernadette is a young woman who works as the daytime security guard at Jim's school. One teacher jokingly calls her "the cold-blooded killer." She is a tiny woman, barely five feet tall, with short black hair. None of the security guard uniform clothes fit her. She is one of the friendliest people we've ever met, with a big smile and a warm, open, curious manner. We got to know her just by stopping to chat at the gate each day on our way in and out of school. She is from Cape Town; she grew up in Mitchell's Plain, a township where coloured people (a term commonly used in South Africa to mean people of mixed race) live. Her native language is Afrikaans, but she also speaks English. Bernadette has worked in a variety of jobs and has also been to Canada - super unique for someone from Mitchell's Plain. She enjoyed talking with us about how cold it was where we were from, and has asked us if we'd write her a letter of support some day so she could come to visit the United States. (Tourist visas to travel to the US can be hard to get for South Africans and involve an in-person interview and proof that you have a job to return to in South Africa). Last weekend the school had an end-of-year cocktail party, and someone thought to invite Bernadette. She was thrilled. She asked Jim and I if we'd drive her home at the end of the party (otherwise, she walks or takes a taxi - mini-bus, but it would be dark and dangerous to walk home that late). We of course agreed.

magical elandsbaai (west coast, south africa)

A few weeks back, Jim and I spent a weekend at Eland's Bay (Elandsbaai in Afrikaans), a small town on the west coast about three hours north of Cape Town. Our friend Tina had promised a magical, mystical place, and it truly was. We stayed at an old farmstead, Uithoek, which means something like "Out-of-the-way corner" in a cottage called Langhuis (Long House), with no electric lights, a thatched roof and a view of a vlei (lake) and a koppjie (smallish mountain).

We had a sportive weekend - Tina's husband Chris practices archery, and gave us all a try. Jim also got in a good few hours of fishing, with two lovely sardines to show for his work. We fried them up and ate them with lemon juice as a pre-dinner snack one night.

My first time shooting :)

Jim is an old hand.