update on photos

PS - I am having a little trouble uploading pictures. Hopefully I will get some visuals up on this blog so you can really experience the magic of Cape Town.

XO

Glen Cairn

On Monday afternoon I moved out to Glen Cairn (part of Cape Town) to stay in this beautiful house overlooking the ocean. It is quite something...a pool, a straw roof cabana, gorgeous gardens, and a bright house with lots of windows. The view from my room in spectacular...I look east onto the Indian Ocean and I can also see down the slope where the centre of Glen Cairn is. The only thing that is strange for me is that all of the windows have bars on them. Break-ins are common in South Africa because the divide between rich and poor is so huge and people will do anything to survive...perhaps I would too if I were in that situation...

Yesterday morning I hiked up to the peak of the mountain just behind where I am staying. The wind was so strong that I had to hold on to the rock I was sitting on...wild!!  I could see a 360 view of the two valleys and the meandering mountains heading east to west across the Cape (we're near Cape Point). Once down, I explored some more running trails and finished up my workout with Vlad's Abs (you'd be proud of me small balls!)

On the 20th my mum and Gary head back to Duncan, BC, so at that point I will be leaving this beautiful house and living closer to downtown. I am still working out the housing and volunteering details, which feels good because it has been a little anxiety producing not knowing where I will be living and what I will be doing in less than two weeks time. There's always the youth hostels!! I trust all will work out perfectly, as it always does.

Hoping you are all well and that spring is starting to show its face...

Love, Wendy

Kirstenbosch

On Sunday afternoon I met up with some of my new friends and took in some music at the Kirstenbosch gardens. The Kirstenbosch gardens are native gardens (I believe) that are located just up the road from my aunt's house and 20 minutes from downtown. They are situated at the bottom of Table Mountain National Park and are on a slope. There is a huge grassy area that has a large stage at the bottom and which overlooks a chunk of Cape Town (beautiful when it is dark and all the city lights are shining!) There are summer concerts held here every Sunday and we were able to catch the last one of the season. The music wasn't that great but the view and the company was great. It is tradition to bring a big picnic blanket, wine and snacks. We had it all die to the leftovers from Lyska's birthday party the night before. Lyska is my aunt's god daughter and we are cut from a similar cloth. Unfortunately, she heads of for New Zealand this week for 6 months so we won' t be able to hang out. She introduced me to some of her amazing friends though, whom I am hoping to hang out with while I am here.  

Although no friends can replace all of you fabulous people that I know at home. 

Love to you all!

Wendy

More reflections on the workshop

The primary purpose of my trip to South Africa (as many of you know) was to do a practicum placement with the Department of Lifelong Learning at the University of the Western Cape. As part of that practicum I was to participate as an intern/participant in a training called "The Art and Heart of the Trainer". The unique thing about this training is that it was to be co-facilitates by my aunt Shirley and my Mum. The training occurred last week in a beautiful oceanside town called Kleinmond, 1 hour east of Cape Town.

29 facilitators from 5 southern African countries attended the 5-day training to build their skills and refine their art of facilitation. There were variety of participants: some that worked with children; others that were trainers in a business setting; and many that worked with women on women's rights and/or HIV/AIDS issues. Of course, women's rights and HIV/AIDS are closely connected in Southern Africa where the infection rate is very high and where many traditional cultural practices include men having several wives. It was a fabulous training that was rich in learning, both within the workshop program and at tea breaks while chatting to other participants. There were several women in attendance who are living with HIV and who shared their stories. All of these women exhibited their deep commitment to working to improve women's rights(both in the bedroom and out) as well as to reduce the stigma around HIV/AIDS. They were really frank about the underlying issues and very open to sharing their knowledge. I listened carefully and took in as much as I could.

Some of the major themes covered in the workshop were: Feminist Popular Education (grassroots empowerment work); Transformative Learning (asking the question 'how can I engage the hearts of my participants?'); design and facilitation of learning events; lifelong commitment to being reflective about my practice; and self care. Really rich for sure!

The past few days I have been writing a workshop report for the Department of Lifelong Learning which has allowed me to sink deeper into my learning from the workshop and to tie all of the pieces together. I am also in the process of connecting with some of the other workshop participants who are keen to have me co-facilitate in the coming months. So, perhaps I will get to put my learning into practice. Exciting!!

Dubai

In my last entry I forgot to include a blurb about my short visit to Dubai. So here it is. 

I arrived in Dubai and hour later than planned due to a late take off in New York. Geoff (an old friend from high school who lives in Dubai) had invited me for a visit and had given me directions to his apartment. He is a pliot for Emirates Airlines and they provide accomodation for all their foreign staff...crazy nice accommodation too!! Once I was through customs in the ridiculously spacious Dubai international airport, I found my way to the taxi ranks outside. In Dubai there are three different cues for taxis: for men, for foreigners and families, and for women. The women's taxis are pink and are driven by women....pretty cool for a country where women's rights are questionable. After a 20 minute ride, I arrived at Geoff's tower of an apartment building and went up to the 20 somethingth floor. It was great to reconnect with Geoff after 15 years!!! crazy. We chatted and caught up on what we've been doing all this time and he showed me the view from his balcony which was quite something. We could see the tallest building in the world from there...which was weird to tell you the truth. It was a thin spindly building (I guess I need to get a little closer to it to really appreciate it). Geoff was saying that most of it is rebar and concrete but that when they tried to pour concrete for the top little bit (several storeys) there was complications with the concrete due to the change in atmospheric pressure...So, they had to build the remainder out of steel. (Was it really that worth it?)

After great chats, good wine, and a short sleep, I woke early the next morning and made my way to the airport to check in for my flight to Cape Town. As noted in my last entry, the airport was really busy at 7:30am and after an hour walking back and forth looking for something reasonable to eat I boarded my plane for Cape Town.

The Workshop

Hi everyone,

My flight to Cape Town was good, besides the fact that I nearly missed the plane...The truth of it all is that the Dubai airport is a zoo. There are two wings with a fast food joints at either end coupled with a few coffee shops (these food choices are not too appealing at 7:30am). After walking back and forth between the two wings and trying to weasel my way into getting a free meal in the upstairs buffet (other people were given free meals for the layover but apparently because I left the airport I didn't qualify for one...) I stood in line to buy a bagel and coffee at Starbucks only to realise that it was my gate that was being called for final boarding...whoops...

I tell you, Emirates Airlines is fabulous! The movies they have are awesome and the food, service and overall atmosphere are really great. Although I don't see myself flying to Dubai much in the future, I would definitely fly with them again! I think my row on the plane was the only one that was not completely full. So, my German neighbour and I counted our blessings for being able to stretch out just that little bit more.

Finally, after 2 days of long but entertaining travel, on Saturday March 28th, I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, happily and safely. My lovely aunt Shirley met me with a smile and we navigated through the construction site that makes up the Cape Town International Airport to meet my uncle in the car. Apparently the airport has been under renovation and construction for several years, however, due to the upcoming soccer world cup the construction is now in full tilt. After being greeted by the rottweiler and scruffy terrier dogs (Zizi and Bu) at Shirley and Johan's house, I settled down with a cup of tea and a buttermilk rusk (kinda like a mix between a biscotti and a scone - looks like a scone but is hard like a biscotti!). The weather was warm but not hot and quite humid...my skin loves it.

On Sunday we packed for the week-long workshop and headed 1 1/2 hours east along the coast from Cape Town to Kleinmond. Tucked in between a beautiful set of small mountains and the white sand beaches leading to Hermanes, sits the Grail Centre. The workshop staff and participants (32 in total) are all staying on site at this amazing retreat centre. The rooms are simple and quaint. The food is simple but satisfying. The real pleasure of staying here are the grounds...so much greenery, animals, birds and beautiful flowers. It is a real sanctuary. As I was reading on a brochure in my room, there are Grail Centres all over the world. The reason they are so unique is because they all share a common longing to find meaningful ways of contributing to the transformation of our world to a place of love and justice. It's quite a good fit that this workshop is being held here as the focus in this rich African context has been to come together as facilitators who are working to change the world, one workshop at a time...(that sounds so cheesy but it is true). The women (and 4 men) are so engaged and inspiring. I am learning so much. We have officially passed the halfway mark of the 5-day facilitator's training and I feel like I have learned so much about myself, about my fellow workshopers and about facilitation in an African context. Many of the stories shared have been deeply moving. These women have endured deep wounds and traumas and yet they ooze resilience and strength to continue working to help others gain their basic human rights. Big stuff.

Although in some ways I could spend a month or more here learning with these lovely souls, I am also looking forward to having some down time near the water in Cape Town and taking the time to wind down after a full 8 months of studies and hard brain work.

I am thinking of you all as I embrace who I am becoming in this new environment and hoping that I can touch all of your hearts in my sharing through this blog. Don't hesitate to post a response or shoot me an email...I am always excited to receive contact from loved ones when I am far away from home.

Hugs,
Wendy