Our second day in Cape Town was filled with excitement much like the first, excluding the mountain climbing and hospital visits ☺ We started our day with a scenic drive along the coast, snapping photos and staring in awe at the beauty of the country. To start off the day, we arrived at Hout Bay to take a boat trip to Seal Island and watch the hundreds of seals play around in the water and sunbath on the rocks. Surrounding the docks at the bay were countless craftsmen eager to sell their goods and bargain for as long as it will take to make a sale. After a taste of the local crafts and first attempts at bargaining, we left to see penguins! And yes, I said penguins. The penguins are called African Jackass Penguins and are the only nesting penguins found in Africa and specifically in the Western Cape Province. After calling out to the penguins to pose for photos and taking as many as we could, we again attempted our luck at bargaining for goods at another craft market nearby. Some of us bought as many gifts for family and friends as we could, while others were overwhelmed by the chaos and decided to hold off. The rest of the afternoon entailed a drive through the Cape Peninsula National Park where we saw zebras, antelope, and countless baboons and their friends hogging the streets along with a visit to Cape Point (the farthest tip of the Cape Peninsula), which provided for another ideal photo opportunity.
After all of our excursions were complete, we had one final stop to make on our way back to the hotel which proved to be the most eye-opening experience we had thus far. We stopped at a “coloured community” called Ocean View to visit some fellow Americans named Casey and Sarah along with their young daughter. Casey and Sarah are from North Carolina who have been living in Ocean View for over a year now and have no plans of leaving for at least another ten years. Casey and Sarah are the only white couple living in this coloured community and couldn’t enjoy the life and work they do here more. Both are extremely involved in the church in the community and are loved by many in the community. Sarah works with the women in the church to empower them and help them through the violence and oppression they face while Casey is trying to start a soccer program called Ubuntu Sports Outreach that focuses on a small, core group of young boys that enables and gives them the tools they need for a better life and greater opportunities. Our trip to Ocean View opened our eyes to just a small glance at the violence, crime, oppression, inequality, and racism that plagues South Africa today.
Along with Sarah and Casey speaking to us, we were also fortunate enough to hear from a young man named Timmy who grew up in Ocean View. He provided a lens for us to see what life in Ocean View is like. He spoke of his life and what his fellow peers are doing as well. For many young people like Timmy, drugs, alcohol and sex are one of the many paths they have taken. Many have multiple children with multiple partners and some of their highest dreams are to work in the mall down the road. The youth have the mindset that life in this “coloured community” is the life I live, the best I can do and I might as well live like my parents. It is a mentality that their parents held during the apartheid where the highest job they could hold was as a nurse or teacher that has had lasting effects on communities such as Ocean View. Timmy is just one example of a young man rebelling against his community’s outlook on life and who has stayed within the community to lead as an example to the many youth that look up to him. Casey’s dream is to help many other young boys to become good men whose testimonies can provide even further examples as to the dreams and opportunities youth in their communities can strive for.
Another part of life in South Africa that we were able to take a closer look at was the craft markets. For almost all of us, it was a whole new experience. The craft markets operated on a bartering system and every item could be bartered for. An item costing R 300 could easily be purchasde for R 150. Many of us felt as if we were fortunate enough to be able to easily afford such goods and weren’t supporting the South African economy. However, what I learned throughout the experience was that many of the workers selling these items weren’t actually from South Africa. Instead, I found out that a few in particular were actually immigrants from Kenya and the Congo but worked for a South African. Many would like to return to their home countries; however, being able to afford to go back is something that is not possible for them on top of all their other living expenses. Instead, making a living here through these craft markets is just a way to survive and keep on living a life in South Africa. As a whole, these craft markets are a hidden system that would remain unknown if one didn’t actually ask and talk to these immigrants.