S.Africa:Part 1

Hello everyone,

It's been a while. we had a busy couple of weeks. But if you haven't seen yet we have a bunch of Wedumentires up on our site now so check them out. There should be so new pics up as well.

South Africa is by far on one of the coolest countries i have ever been to! The people are great and it's the best food i have had yet on this trip around the world. Cape Town is so beautiful that words do not do it justice so look at some pictures:

Cape Town sits at the base of Table mountain and then spreads outward to the ocean. There are several house built on the foothills that sprawl through out the area. The down town area is very modern and feels a lot like a US city. However, there is a shocking clash of f a first world country with super malls , 5 star restaurants and a Third world country with dilapidate Townships only a 5 minute cab ride away, where the houses are built with whatever material can be found, scrap wood, sheet metal, plastic, if your lucky. Almost a million people live in these crowded make -shift towns. That is more people than some US cities. Some have no running water and the bathrooms are concert
out-houses.

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The Townships are where the poorest of the poor live. You have never experience poverty until you see 1 million people living in a town completely made of Shack. Most of the people who live in these Townships are poor black people cast out of society during the Apartheid and they have never recovered.

Just for a quick overview: Apartheid was the S. African Government organized segregation and racial classification of it's people into divided classes such as White, usual Dutch or British decent which was the top . Then Colored, which was usually mixed race, with white features. Then on the bottom were the black people or Natives. The mistreatment of these "lower classes" eventually lead to a revolution both politically and resulted in a war. Ploitical prisoners where held in jails for decades and countless other were murdered if they could be seen as any sort of threat to the Government.

The vast poverty in S Africa is a problem that the current government is still trying to solve. Due to the high unemployment rate and the lack of education in these areas the rate of AIDS, Crime and death is much higher than anywhere else in the region. About 25 percent of the population in these townships are infected with HIV or AIDS. And about 1 out of 4 women are raped.

This Sharp economic gap is one of the many huge problems in S. Africa left over from the oppressive Apartheid government, not to mention the thousand of young black men and women who were killed and imprisoned during the long struggle for equal rights and integration in S Africa. The end of this bitter struggle was only 11 years ago, so the wounds are still fresh and the rift is still evident.

But from what we saw in the amazing students we worked with there, the youth of S Africa is coming together to build a stronger country for both black and white. Despite the hardships that this great country still faces you can feel the energy of a developing nation moving forward to its potential. The most amazing thing of all is the extraordinary ability for most in this society to forgive. Forgive for the wrongful death of their children, forgive for the theft of their land and forgive for the dehumanisation of the black people as a whole.

I highly suggest that you look deeper into this Struggle and victory of humanity. And Read any thing by Bishop Desmond Tutu. The man is a living saint in my book, but so is Huey Lewis so you can't go by me, check him out for yourself. (Tutu not Lewis)

And the kids from Cape Town want everyone in the states to know that they live in a city with the same technology as you! They do not wear lion-cloths and they do not have lions in their back yards. They were pretty adamant about that. They also want every one to know that S. Africa is a country..on the continent of Africa . They wear jeans and T-shirts and listen to Pop music.

Leaving S. Africa was very hard it is by far the most comfortable port for Western travellers where a majority of the population Speaks English. There are actually 11 official languages in S.-Africa. During Apartheid everyone had to speak Afrikaans, which was the language of the early white Dutch settlers in S. Africa. But since around 1997 when S Africa became fully Democratic many of the native languages were recognised and the National Anthem is now song in 4 different languages native to S. Africa.

I will miss the students that i worked with the most of all. They are amazing kids that are living proof that this country has a bright future.

There will be more about our video conferences with the kids in the next blooooog...keep an eye out.

Well that's my intro to Cape Town, South Africa. There will be more blogs and pics coming about Cape town.

Here are some Updates:

- Our trip to Kenya has been cancelled due to terrorist activity and pirates in the area targeting Large vessel...full of Americans! So we stayed in Cape Town for a couple of extra days now we are sailing to the Island Louis, Mauritius which is off the coats of Madagascar. It should be nice to get back into some sun since it was a bit cold in S.-Africa. I'll have to go to Kenya next time I'm in Africa ...who wants to come with me?

- We have crossed about 6 or 7 times zones since Brazil. So i am now about 6 hours ahead of the East coast. We will lose 24 hours on this trip...a full day! But we get a day back in Japan ...i think. We have a Thursday 2 days in a row..so weird...Look mom I'm time travelling! I think 23 hour days are starting to get to me.

- Still no one sea sick on our crew anyway but everyone on the ship is getting a cold.

- On a personal l note I have started listening to a lot of Hall and Oates lately...not really that interesting but i felt like sharing...man check out their greatest hits! "I can't go for that" poetry with bad hair i tell you.

Interesting facts:

-During Apartheid in S. Africa it was illegal for a white personl to assoicate with a black person., If you were caught consorting or dating a black person both parties would be thrown in jail. The black person's sentnce would be much longer.

-Studies show that Elephants morn their dead and sometimes they even dig graves for them.

-In some parts of England, rum is used to wash a baby's head for good luck.(from Stacey)

- In South Africa, termites are often roasted and eaten by the handful, like pretzels or popcorn. (Kat)

Keep them coming people!

Hello's

Hi Mom

Stace, congrats on your new job! Miss you.

Hope the store is ok Kat

Take care all,

J

BYE!

Comments

[Jaclyn]

Hey J, Chris sends his regards also! How strange..pirate ships....I didn't know that could really happen anymore. I emailed you a list of fun facts so check them out. I'll post a few for everyone! Safe sailing!!
-Jaclyn

-There are more chickens than people in the world.

-There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins.

-Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

[Tim]

I want to know who is your ghost writer because these blogs are looking like a Vonnegut novel, and I know I am not writing them. Who the hell took over my job as official secretary.

[Kat]

Yo yo yo....thanks for the shout out. Holla! lol. Sorry I haven't been around to chat, but the spirit of Halloween is bringing my store back in full effect, leaving me no time on the computer. Tracking your trip is so funny- I find myself singing "Where in the world is Jason Liquori?" (do it Rockapella!). Anyway, miss you, and gope to talk to you soon! Hope your staying away from the Dread Pirate Roberts. Catch you later! <3 Kat

Facts for Today:
-The inventor of the flushing toilet was Thomas Crapper. (hahaha)

-Huey Lewis successfully sued Ray Parker Jr. for the song "Ghostbusters" claiming that the song plagiarized the band's hit song "I Want a New Drug."

[doreen]

hey thats good job and fun too,
welcome to kenya