Freaky Friday...

Howzit Everyone?? It's Friday the 13th... the end of a very interesting week here in Cape Flats!

We had our last night of teen programme in Heinz Park tonight. We were supposed to have a dance party, however, we ended up without a soundsystem, so there was no music... as South Africans say: "Shame!" It was, in a way, a classic ending to a week filled with such mixups, glitches, etc. which are, apparently, par for the course around here when you are trying to do something big with very few resources.

We did have one day of intense rain this week. While that doesn't seem like much, it's quite hectic when you consider the structures that many people in Cape Flats live in. I cannot imagine what it is like when they have continuous storms here. It must completely debilitate the place. Just in terms of the basic life issues~ having to use the bathroom (which is outside) having to get water (which is outside) having major leaks in your roof, having drainage issues b/c there is no floor, etc..Not to mention, that it gets quite cold at night (it is winter here...) and no one has insulated houses. There are so many things that we take for granted living where and how we live...

Last night Monique took us to a launch party for a film that another non-profit created. The group is called P.O.V. (Point of View) and you can check them out online at www.povproject.com. The film is a 20minute piece around HIV/AIDS awareness~ very cool. All the crew was at the party and there were2 hip-hop duos from Guguletu (a huge township) that performed, as well as an amazing dance group. It was great to be out in Cape Town to see this different little slice of life. Also very cool to hear guys rapping in Xhosa!!!

Tomorrow we are headed towards Knysna on the Garden Route, to visit an old Woodstock friend, Sarah Jane Klempter. Sarah Jane came over from South Africa to work as a counselor at Camp Woodstock in 2003... although I didn't work with her, I got to know her while I was there visiting and we became good friends and have kept in touch over these past 4 years. I cannot wait to see her!! Becky and I will stay with her for a few days and explore that area a bit... we'll return to Cape Flats in the middle of next week.

While I'm sad to leave, it also seems a good time for us to step back and process through a lot of what we have experienced and learned to this point. Between the incredible cultural differences and the dynamics of working at the Y, we have a lot to talk about and understand!!! Needless to say, we are both learning a great deal, not only about South Africa, but about ourselves as well.

This is an adventure on so many levels...

Okay, hope you are all well!! It's so AMAZING to hear from you all(even people we don't know!) on the blog, so if you're reading and haven't sent a message, please do!! Hope you are all surviving the summer...rumor has it that there's a heatwave in Hartford.

Much much love to you!