The Greatest Gift of All

I'm not sure how I could have forgotten this in my Christmas post, but David is (like I've said before) SUCH a boss. He spoils me to no end and this Christmas was more of the same because he got me a real live BUNNY RABBIT! He's a sweet little fluff ball named Nelson AKA: Madiba. If you don't get that reference, read up on Nelson Mandela! I hate the irony of putting him in a cage, but we like to pay homage to the culture of this great country. So here he is, ears and all:

So, cheers from me, Nelson and the best boyfriend alive.

Live gratefully,

KG

Meanwhile, back in Cape Town...

Before I finish telling the tales of my travels, I want to fill you in on what's been happening in my life post-backpacking. This is my first Christmas spent out of the nest, and while there were some homesick moments that caught me with tears in my eyes, I've been extremely lucky to share this holiday with the lovely and slightly crazy (in the good way of course) family and friends of my boyfriend. Since my return, we spent several days zipping back and forth to the airport to pick everyone up from their various global postings and it's been a whirlwind of fun for the past few weeks now. Our days are filled with hikes, beaches and competition (the boys cook up tournaments of every kind from soccer, water polo and football to Mario Kart and ping pong) and our nights with wine, decadent dinners and more games, of course. With tons of kids around, it's a different energy from the holidays I'm used to, but I love it all the same. Maybe it's because their family is spread all over the world, or maybe it's a German thing, but the stress and pressure that so many American families feel around the holidays was not present this year. We were all happy to be together under one roof, and the gifts were just kind gestures instead of the reason for the season.

Although I've had two weeks of adventures around Cape Town, I'll keep it short and sweet and hit ya with the highlights:

Days upon days of sun, sand and smiles.

Live Freely,

KG

Gettin Wild

About a month ago, I put most of my belongings into a backpack that was bigger than me and set out to explore southern Africa. It wasn't always fun, I wasn't always smiling, and I was never very clean, but it was the most inspiring, life-altering adventure of my young life. Although most of the true wonders of the trip were undefinable moments that left me speechless, I will try to fill you all in on what went down when Africa got real. So get a map and try to follow along.

Chintsa, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

The first few days of our epic journey were pretty dull, I won't lie. My girl Jozi and I were driving with a mission: reaching Chintsa, the first official town on the Wild Coast. With a few mandatory stops for carrots and crackers, some Malawian hitchhikers and a whole lot of Adele, we finally made it. Our destination, of course, was found only after getting a windshield full of the gnarliest bugs (the ones you imagine when you think about Africa), getting plenty lost on dirt roads in the dark, and nearly hitting a Springbok. Even after we pulled into Buccaneer's (our bad ass hostel), the sun refused to shine and we kept it mellow by exploring the neighboring lagoon and beaches.

Our amazing little bungalow!

The lagoon and beach.. would be a sick place if the sun was out!

We had a lot of fun in Chintsa, but the best part was a little on the heavy side. Since the sun was hiding, we turned to the cultural side of traveling. We went with a few other people to hang out with school kids at Buluhga Farm School and watch them practice for National AIDS Awareness day where they were performing some songs and a skit. There were maybe a hundred kids at this under-resourced, impoverished school because, according to their teachers, the Eastern Cape is one of the last providences to get any money from the federal budget for education. The people are mostly black, mostly poor and mostly uneducated, so I guess it doesn't matter, right? Anyway, it struck me that the kids with the least opportunity were some of the most eager and obedient students. In broken English, they told us what they wished to accomplish with their lives, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. We take school for granted in most first world countries. We fake sick, snore in class and blow off our homework... yet, generally still end up at top notch universities with respectable careers to follow. I hope the future holds the same for those who want it so badly.

The little cuties themselves.

Coffee Bay, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

After the gloom and glory of Chintsa, it was time to move on. My birthday was around the corner, and I wanted to be in Coffee Bay for the big day. My boyfriend David had told me of his unforgettable trip there last year, and I knew it was the perfect birthday destination. So, Jozi and I were pluggin along on the N2 and as previously agreed upon, were looking for a hitchhiker to help out when - TO MY COMPLETE SURPRISE- we turned the corner to see David standing in the rain with his best friend Simon, waiting for us to pick them up for a birthday celebration! We drove a while longer, pumped on our new passengers, and reached the Coffee Shack backpackers in no time.

David, being the pimp that he is, booked us an incredible private suite (the sickest thatched hut you've ever seen), and we started off our weekend by eating dinner with local villagers as they showed us their traditional food, dance and home made beer. To be honest with you, it felt a bit invasive.. a bit exploitive, not the kind of traveling I like to do. But it was interesting, to say the least.

Ladies and gents - the most amazing guy alive.

frolicking through the village

of course, they made Jozi and I dance with them... but we rocked it.

The next day was my birthday and the four of us spent it roaming around the enormous green hills, playing with whatever animals we came across, exploring ever trail and beach we stumbled into and doing other things that I don't imagine would be great to write about in a blog that my mother and her friends read. The night was filled with endless birthday drinks and a VERY forced speech to the entire bar, rewarded by the gift of a bottle of champagne and the addition of Simon's sister Kelly and two German girls that were staying with us in Noordhoek, Aileen and Charlotte! I never imagined my 21st birthday would be shared with a hostel full of strange foreigners and a couple of close friends on the most secluded stretch of coast on the most southern tip of Africa, but it was, and I'm the luckiest girl alive.

the view from our suite!

birthday hike

taking a break to scope the indian

luckily hitched a ride back

celebrations!

The next day was equally as epic. We took a goomy trip to Sacred Pools and hiked around before swimming in a completely secluded, deserted fresh water pond. Then headed over to the beach, monkeyed around on some trees and rocks and headed home to a chilled night. It was absolutely stunning - one of the best days of the trip by far. This is the type of place that makes you think you've somehow managed to go back in time. The only other beings around were cows and the occasional local who tended to them or fished from the cliffs. Tiny round huts made of mud dotted the hillsides and made for some pretty mind blowing scenery. Unadulterated nature.

And then, out of nowhere, the weekend was over. David had to head to Jo'burg on business and we went onward to Durban with Kelly and Simon close behind. It wasn't a long time to stay in a place like the Wild Coast. It's a complete vacuum, a place where time stands still and you not only forget about the outside world, but completely stop caring about it. For the most chilled out holiday of your life - get here.

Live Wildly,

KG

Rocktober

October had wings, as well, it seems. Copious amounts of school work (some of which I am avoiding right now) and a couple of crazy weekends made this month the shortest of all. Here's a video of a music festival we attended in the beginning of the month called Rockin the Daisies. We camped with a group of about 20 internationals with countless others parading through our turf on the daily and enjoyed some original South African tunes...not too shabby. It was in the 30's all weekend (look at me, speakin' Celsius) and it was completely insane. Let's just say, Coachella needs a lake.

Look for David and I at :38 seconds in and again at 3:38! Ha!

Rocking The Daisies [2011] :: Dont Party.TV EXCLUSIVE from Dont Party on Vimeo.

So, final exams are the only raid clouds looming overhead. One down, three to go and then I'm free to scamper around the country and into Mozambique with a few really sick ladypals of mine. We will be gone for a month (tentatively coming back on December 13th), so I will be offline except for the e-mails of reassurance to my parents. One of my hostels is called the Zombie Cucumber, if that's any indication of what my trip is going to be like, I'm down. Yup, shit's about to get weird.

Live Strangely,

KG

International Kids of Mystery

I threw together this video for my final project in my African studies course. The prompt was to convey any theme of our class in a creative way, so my group chose to tie together themes of Forgiveness and Archives in a PostSecret like project where we asked all of the students in the study abroad program to anonymously send us secrets about their time in Cape Town and the country as a whole. Our idea was to bridge the gap between South African students and internationals because, believe me - there is such a gnarly gap. It's not that students here are unwelcoming or rude or anything like that, it's just that South Africa is such a complex and ever-changing developing country, that it's really difficult to understand it and it's people as an outsider. So, as the video shows, although this semester has been a romp, it's starkly juxtaposed with some heavy feelings, fears and ideas we've had.

I was shakin in my boots thinking that we would offend the South Africans in our class, but they ended up liking it almost more than the American and European students and it opened up an avenue for a lot of us to talk about our experiences dealing with the nuances of our cultures. So, all in all, this little video did exactly what it was supposed to: it exposed these secrets that we thought we had to hide and brought us together. After all, in order to truly move on, you have to know what you're moving on from.

Live in the open,

KG

Spring in September

Where did September go? If I were at home, I could easily say that it was lost between the pages of new books for new classes in the new year. It would have been lost in the process of moving and settling into an apartment, going to keggers in Golden Gate Park and squeezing the crap out of newly bronzed friends that I hadn't seen in months. It would have been lost in the Indian Summer of San Francisco. But this September was different. The leaves were turning green instead of golden, and the promise of Summer is just around the corner instead of seasons away. The only thing that remained the same was that crazy SF weather - Cape Town shares the mercurial temperament.

It is interesting, I feel like going abroad in SA must be SUCH a completely different experience than studying in Italy or Spain. There's so much pain here, so much sadness that you can't help but feel it. So it's not that I'm not having the time of my life - I think it's evident that I am - but it's just that the fun is definitely mixed in with a heavy, heavy cultural and historical element, and I would be an idiot to close my eyes to it. This month, PASSOP started working with a woman named Susan who was randomly attacked with acid by two men on her bus. We are raising money for her reconstructive surgeries, and all the while she's cheerful and positive and becoming more and more confident by the day. She's amazing, but her situation just shows you how gnarly the exchange between genders can be here. I also just watched a documentary called Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children. It showcased only a few of the countless stories of children left hopeless and desolate because they cannot afford the 10 US dollars that their school charges per term. These are children that, unlike those at home, would give anything to be able to go to class. We take it for granted every day, and it's such a luxury here. It makes me feel foolish for the days I faked fevers. It's all about perspective, I suppose. But since all things in South Africa are not sad and horrible news, let's cheer this post up:

I started the month off by going to a gnarly trance festival called Sprung with David and his brother and some friends. Trance isn't really my thing, but it was quite the experience. The music didn't stop the entire weekend (literally.. it didn't stop at all) and we danced ourselves to sleep sometime in the early morning. It was hectic, but I was stoked we got to camp and get weird with the weirdest. But as our German friends abandoned us for the Eastern Cape, and school picked up ten fold, things have slowed down for us in terms of adventures. But the weather has been picking up here and there and we have been braaing our pants off when it's nice with a little water polo in the pool and some beach time thrown in their for sanity's sake. But as blurry as September was, it was all thumbs up. Here's some evidence:

out with some biddies on Long street

the day I got lost on Noordhoek Beach

If you grow up in Tustin with nothing to do but drive around the hills at night, you acquire quite a few great look out spots. If you live in San Francisco with hills and tall buildings for days, you acquire quite a few great look out spots. I've done both, and this is still the best spot I've ever been to. Cheers!

Live eagerly,

KG

Life on the Hoek

First thing’s first: I would not be truly updating any of you on my life if I didn’t write about my time spent in a beautiful little pocket of Cape Town called Noordhoek, a small countryside suburb known best for it’s outstretching, white sand beach and miles and miles of hills dotted with Dutch style houses. As some of you might know, I spend a lot of my time there now because that is where my boyfriend, David, lives with his brother and the whirlwind of friends that come and go as they travel the world. With a constant stream of twenty-somethings running in and out, you can guarantee that there’s always something going on, whether it’s a collaborative family dinner, super intense Mario Kart tournaments, surf safaris or hectic nights out... describing it as a “fun” experience would be an understatement. It’s a place that has eased the pain of missing my home and family and friends and made me realize that I can have a home extremely far away from Tustin. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve managed to get myself tangled up with the most amazing guy in the world. Really, I had to go to Africa to find him AND import him from Germany. But I won’t bore you with the mushy stuff, just know that this life that I’m living is the epitome of happiness.

The whole crew (Left to Right: Elena, Simon, Jara, ["the Germans"] Yanis [Davids' brother], Skye, Simon [Davids' friends], myself and David) watching the sunset in our cave.

Mission to Chapman's Peak with Yanis and David

Our mascot, the neighbors dog Marty, who thinks he lives at the boys' house. Marty is king.

And now, another month has come and gone and my experiences in Africa continue to change the way I perceive nearly every facet of life. It’s funny though, the changes seem subtle enough to pass without notice until someone from home asks me how I’m doing. Then I begin to reflect on what I’ve seen, what I’ve done, who I’ve met and I see the differences between who I was when I came here, and the person I’ve become since then. Waves rush over me, waves of gratitude, waves of inspiration, of anger, or confusion - so many mixed emotions it’s hard to keep track. And I’m drowning. But not in the way that might frighten you or overwhelm you. I’m just completely immersed. I'm trying to override all of my old schemas and assumptions, stereotypes and the general hard wiring of my mind. I really understand now what people mean when they tell you that traveling like this is a life changing experience. It is. It changes your life and your brain and the way you think about things.

I find myself heavily critiquing the States more than I have ever even thought to in the past. Not because I don’t love my country but because I do. Because I know we can do better than what we’ve been doing in the past and obviously how we’re currently doing. My eyes have been opened up to the point of my eyelids straight ripping off. Other countries do things better than us. But we have heart and I believe we have a true passion for providing a truly top-notch life experience for our citizens so we really need to listen up, take notes and be unafraid of change. Welcome it. We need to become more globalized and stop isolating ourselves. Seriously teach other languages from the earliest stages of development and help our youngest generations and those on the way that the other countries in the world are just as important as us. We are not an island, and I mean that metaphorically. Do you know how many Europeans I have met that not only know the ins and outs of their own governments and cultures but those of the countries around them and, of course, ours? It’s impressive, and it goes to show that as a huge force in this world, we need to look outside our borders and learn about the countries we’re sharing the world with. How much do you know about France? We briefly hear about them in the news but always as the punch line of jokes... but how much do you really know about how their country works? My challenge to you is to learn about other countries. Start with France. And once you realize how much we could learn from their government alone, keep reading. Read about Norway and Holland and Belgium and all of these other places that are doing things better than us. Well, first... locate them on a map. Then read.

Live globally,

KG

1 thousand words > 1 picture

I admit that attempting to depict this place is overwhelming at times. It goes beyond photos and any caption I might put on them. Cape Town is a huge mash-up of all of these great places I know combined with, well, Africa. Especially because many of you reading this most likely grew up behind The Orange Curtain with me, the ideas that were ingrained in us about what Africa looks/sounds/feels like will never be truly changed until you see it for yourself. Because you feel it all. You feel the entire city, everything - not just things you can see or read about. It's the things that just aren't quite tangible, the things that aren't written in the guidebook or even talked about at all. Small nuances. Funny quirks. A person’s life is a collection of a trillion intricate variables, countless details and moments and images. And my life here is so completely different than my life at home. It's difficult to swallow all of this up and put it into words that anyone who hasn't been here would understand.

But, for those of you back home that I know enjoy reading what I'm up to (Moms), I will continue onward and do the best that I can with just giving some insight as to what I'm doing and maybe not all of the complexities of what I'm feeling... that's where things get hazy.

School is fully in session. True, it has technically been going on for a few weeks now, but I wasn't quite convinced, I suppose. Until last week or so... then, something inside of me snapped. Vacation mode has turned off in fear of causing self-destruction, because now it's time to really put work into this whole "study abroad" thing. Darn. Papers galore and reading for days. Luckily, one of my classes is just teaching me how to play a PVC pipe for a flute. If anyone had John Yeiser, this guy is his missing French twin. To the tee.

These last few weeks, any time that I am not spending with my eyes glued to a class reader, I have been volunteering at PASSOP by hanging out with some weird, old German men. They're sweet guys that just need some friends... N0, I'm teasing, hanging out with the Germans is not a part of my efforts at PASSOP - David is actually the person responsible for getting me involved there. They are simply two crazy brothers I met at a braai and have spent heaps of time with lately at their beautiful home in Noordhoek. It was David's 25th birthday on Friday so I made a Gaines family favorite, and the most appropriate dessert I could think of: German chocolate cake. German friends visiting them also made amazing side dishes and cakes that filled me up before I actually got any meat. Then we braai'd and had a really fun time partying at their house with a crazy mix of people.

However, the next day was the day we had been waiting for: PASSOP's fundraiser for the Somalian famine victims. We had organized speakers, musical acts and spoken word artists to come out and put together an event that could help the starving Somalis. Although the program was a bit unpolished and at times, someone could have come out with one of those old-fashioned hook canes to drag off an act or two, it was all for a good cause and we raised 8,000 rand I believe... which is a little over a thousand dollars. Every penny counts.

So, life's been busy and it's been indescribably euphoric, but it has been undocumented as my camera has been stolen. David was kind enough to buy me a disposable, so I will have some documentation of all of our adventures that are sure to come. Until then...

Live passionately,

KG

Level Up

It was a picture I had stared at a thousand times. But this time, the glow wasn’t from my computer screen, but from the millions of lights twinkling in the atmosphere. We had hiked to the top of Lion’s Head just in time to watch the sun fall behind the horizon and head on over to my neck of the woods. On one side of the mountain lay the vastness of a foreign ocean. Countless miles of water just teeming with life and energy. And on the other, civilization. Swooping freeways and outstretched docks that looked like the fingers of a greed driven species attempting to exploit all of the natural beauty possible. The idea arose that all of that land used to be miles and miles of beaches and my heart sank a bit. But there are two different beautifuls, and it’s funny how they are on the opposite sides of such an extreme spectrum. Man made things can be breathtaking and awe-inspiring and I could stare at a view like that all night. But on the other hand, there exists these huge mountains to the right of us, and a completely wonderful wet world below us that envelopes you in its unknown mass, forcing you to realize your size in this world (personally, I would take the ocean and the unaffected night sky any day, but that’s neither here nor there) . Anyway, although the full moon was supposed to light our way down, it decided to hang low and let us fend for ourselves. As most of you know, I am pretty damn scared of heights, but fear is temporary and regret is forever, right? So, although some of the conversation was drowned out by the rapid heartbeats in my ear, I found my footing and was reassured that we weren’t on a suicide mission. Then it was back to homework and a cold house and the refrigerator of a broke college kid. Being on top of the world was nice while it lasted.

Every day, it dawns on me a little more. After a lifetime of anticipation and a year of planning, I am in Cape Town. Every single day. I wake up here and fall asleep here, do my laundry and (regrettably) my grocery shopping and yet, it still feels like a very lucid dream. I am waking up little by little, but part of me wants to stay in dreamland because when you’re in a dream, you can do anything and I don’t want to lose that mentality. Even though school and volunteering are keeping me busy, I am blessed to be able to carry out life in such a place as this. Even the monotonous daily activities are wonderful. In a way, I want to erase anything I’ve ever said about Cape Town. Anything I have told anyone, anything I’ve written in this blog or in e-mails - anything. Because my opinion of it is changing every day. Every day I feel a little safer, a little more at home and I fall deeper and deeper in love with it every single minute. The crime you’re all so worried about has not effected me. Granted, I stay out of trouble and follow the basic rules of being a female in a foreign country, but I haven’t even witnessed anything of the sort, either. The majority of crime happens in the townships and it’s a shame that Cape Town gets such a bad reputation because of it. It really is a city that is so alive, so full of passionate and vibrant people, I hope you all get the chance to come here some day.

I saw The Tree of Life the other night and although I didn’t get it for a while (I actually still don't understand a lot of it), some ideas really dug their way into me and haven’t quite let go. Life is going to happen with or without your input so you better choose for yourself what you want to do with your short time on this planet. The only thing that should weigh on you is your own heart, your own conscience. If you know you are living a just and true life, then live on. I am finding out beautiful things about myself here. Things I think I could only have found here. The idea of that, that every different pocket of the world has something new to offer, some new puzzle piece to add to the collection of who you are, has been running in my mind lately. Think of it as a video game and the only way you can move to the next level is to collect all the coins from the different boxes. I want to make it to the next level. I want to see every horizon, every coast and desert and forest and instead of thinking how impossible it all seems, I’m thinking of what I need to do in order to make it all happen. That’s what you do to make it to the next level, isn’t it?

Live naturally,

KG

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