Tuesday – we’re all here now!

(Please note I posted Monday's blog today as well...see below).

On Monday evening we finally were all together! The last bunch of students arrived, everyone is here safe and sound. Luggage, however, for Jessica is in Minneapolis, London or Johannesburg (at least we hope as those are the airports she’s been to). Good old NWA…

Earlier in the evening Jessica, Emily T, Amanda, Matt, Marc and I went out for dinner at a place just down the block from Marc’s and my place called Hussar Grill. Best described as an Afrikaner-influenced place: big game on the menu, including zebra for the special! Nobody partook of Marty the Zebra (for those of you who know your Madagascar movies), but I had a chicken with chocolate chili sauce – yes, dark chocolate melted over chicken. Fantastic! (Those who have been here before will appreciate that we ate at Cubana the previous night.)

This morning Marc and I went for a run up the hill to the campus (mostly a trot upwards and a slide down) to greet a perfectly clear day…the first time we have seen the top of the mountain! It was simply gorgeous, and the view from the top of campus was simply spectacular. See, running has its merits.

After some orientation from our hosts Ouma and Nj, the student mentors assigned to the U of M students gave them a tour of campus before we headed off to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront for lunch and shopping. It was great to be together as a whole group for the first time; Marc was just commenting how much he enjoyed meeting our students and how bright and energetic they all are. We then went off to explore the waterfront, which can best be described as a series of big fancy malls with beautiful ocean views. This is a high-end tourist destination with lots of Gucci, Louis Vitton and the rest. Not that we shopped there… We did see some excellent street dancers and singers, but at one point I wondered out loud to Marc if we weren’t in DisneyWorld again – it seemed so staged. Yet these performers are indeed Africans, not Africans brought in to do African performing at Epcot’s re-created countries. The students decided to take a boat tour of the cape (tons of excursion boats waiting to take visitors out) and they chose the Jolly Roger – yes, a pirate ship replica, complete with eye-patched sailors and all (see their blogs for pics later). Marc and I shopped and did admire some great artwork, jewelry and fabrics but have decided to wait until we see what is in the market instead (both to find out about the authenticity and to buy directly from the maker, or maybe it’s just to be cheap?!).

2008 trip-goers will appreciate that your picture still hangs in the interstudy office, as does the stuffed Goldy Gopher. Sadly, we did not bring a U of M banner to add to their collection. You’ll also appreciate learning that my phone ran out of minutes today and I learned how to add them. Woohoo, small victories! Tomorrow brings Zwele’s lecture on South African history and a trip to the District Six Museum!