One down

Today marks my first month living in Cape Town. Easily the best month of my entire life. Unquestionably. School is proving to be challenging but so rewarding and even though there was a hitch in the initial plan, it’s all turned out for the best. My classes are relevant, intriguing and stretch my perception of normality more and more with each lecture about various cultures and societies within South Africa. It’s safe to say that one of my most interesting and lovely lectures I’ve sat in was my Growing up in Africa class this past Monday in which we went around the room telling everyone what our names were and what they meant not only as words but to our families. Half of our class is comprised of kids who speak mother tongue languages (native South African languages like Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho to name a few) and they have beautiful names with radical and deep meanings. In these languages, names mean more than just what you want the child to be called. Names are often a message to the community or the family, an expectation or aspiration the parents have, or they could even represent events or feelings that occur before or during pregnancy. So we had an Avive (meaning “They have been heard” because her parents had been trying to have a child for a long time and they got the whole community to pray for them), Tshegofatso (meaning “Blessing” and her second name that I didn’t manage to write down means “Left Behind” because a lot of her family passed away before she was born, so they blessed the family by leaving her behind to carry on their legacy) and Zanethemba (meaning “Bring Hope” because he was the first born and his parents wanted him to help the family get out of poverty - which he has!) and many other touching stories behind really crazy awesome names. And to my surprise, when English names came through the line up, the native speakers were thoughtful and impressed with our meanings and stories, as well. But the best part is that the class got to decide what our African names would be, and I was dubbed Thabisa which means “To make people happy" in Zulu... I can dig it.

And the sights... the sights are other-worldly. It’s like my eyes are set to a color intensifying mode. Everything is brighter, crisper, and more vivid. We spent some time hiking around a botanical garden called Kirstenbosh on our day off (National holiday for WOMEN’S DAY - HOLLA!) and it was all so rich. Truthfully, we intended on hiking to the top of Table Mountain, but we were tired and unmotivated so we ended up playing in some waterfalls and climbing trees. In true Gaines fashion, I broke a branch and ended up sliding backwards.Not good for the cheekies, but a good time was had by the rest of us. And the flowers in these gardens were like nothing I had ever seen! Crazy shapes and ridges and patterns and colors, like little mini aliens or something. I love them and want to spend my entire life frolicking in the gardens.

Later in the week we went beach hunting and ended up in a little slice of paradise called Lagoon beach. Delicious fish and chips, killer view of Table Mountain and sun for days. I even got my bronze on. I sat with Lieke (my Dutch princess), Sonja (from Germany) and Tony (from France) and talked politics and cultural misconceptions and watched the sunset and it was just absolutely peaceful and eye opening and I loved every second of it.

But on top of all of these experiences, I have to say that something else struck me with much more force. Although today was my first day, I am going to begin work with an NGO called PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty) that helps refugees and immigrants in South Africa. PASSOP helps people get jobs, get back on their feet and basically reclaim the dignity that xenophobic South Africans have stripped from them. We’re planning a benefit concert to help support victims of the Somalian famine and I will personally be working with filming events and interviews and creating media for the organization. Although I’m sure I’ll have a myriad of things to do as it seems like it’s the kind of place where there is literally always something to do. I can already tell that this is something that’s going to grab me and shake me. The people working there have such compassion and such great intentions,I felt guilty for not helping sooner, and ignorant for not knowing a lot about the causes they are fighting for. But it was truly sad in the sense that they are so outnumbered in

this world by people who frankly don’t give a shit. But by looking at them and listening to them, it’s like they have no idea. They just fight on. Because they really are making changes. So, I plan on joining them, no matter how outnumbered we are.

Me and the cheekies gettin worked

My favorite little aliens

My Dutch princess basking in the sunset.

This might be my first great adventure, but it is definitely not my last. Now that I've gotten a taste of what's out there, I don't really see a complacent, self centered life driven by consumerism and greed in my future. But that's just me.

Live bravely,

KG