National Heritage Day / National Braii Day

September 24th is National Heritage Day here in South Africa. It is a public, national holiday and just like in the United States, this usually is blissfully accompanied by a day off from work. However, when September 24th falls on a Saturday, we are not quite so lucky. Such was our luck this year. We all certainly managed to make the most of the holiday nonetheless. Celebrations began in the office on Friday where we had a tea time discussion about the origins of the holiday and every one was asked to bring in something that resembled their heritage and where they came from. My roommate Charlie did a great presentation on how the Holiday started and then discussed his own heritage and family. We proceeded to go around the board room and each person spoke for a few minutes about their background, their family, and what token of heritage they brought to share. Lots of people brought food, pictures, and even a dvd of South African music! It was so interesting to hear all about my friends and fellow employees backgrounds and family origins. I felt like I was really getting to know each and everyone much more which I really enjoyed. I tasted Jewish Challah bread, German pretzels, Danish cookies, Italian biscuits, and much much more. What a delight! 

Some of the office crew after our Heritage Day Talk

As the time came for me to share my heritage, I proudly pulled out a picture of my dad and I, explaining how my Italian roots come from his side of the family. I continued to brag about how awesome my Nana's Italian meatballs are and how she is the best cook in the whole world. I couldn't leave out her Italian stubbornness and of course how my dad and his brothers just 'happen' to suddenly develop thick Italian accents when they are all in a room together. I made sure to proudly include my Irish roots as well which I attribute to my mom's side of the family. I gave my mom credit for being the tannest Irishwoman I know. Although I know there's much more to my composition besides just Italian and Irish, these are the two I relate to and identify with the most. I loved talking about my family with my co-workers because it is a part of my life that means so much to me. I'm so proud of the fact that I come from such a large, loving family. As I've grown older, I've come to learn that not everyone is as privileged as I am to know where they come from. Although they are crazy at times, I absolutely love my family because they mean so much to me and have really been the roots to my existence. Heritage day is such a wonderful way to reflect upon this and it was a nice reminder of how lucky I am to be blessed with amazing people in my life. 

When the real Heritage Day rolled around on Saturday, it brought along gorgeous sunshine and 75 degree weather. Perfection! I woke up after a wonderful night's sleep and walked the two minute walk around the block to a local Saturday morning farmer's market that I've come to frequent and love. The vendors are all so nice and the fresh vegetables are lovely. The market is housed in a big open hall with many different types of sellers ranging from fresh vegetable farmers to bakers, smoothie vendors, chocolate connoisseurs, coffee baristas, organic fishermen, poultry farmers, etc. I stocked up on vegetables and delicious freshly baked bread. I returned home and then hit the road for a light run along the water, soaking in the salty breeze and watching the waves crash along the boardwalk. As I was running home, I ran through the Company Gardens, a beautiful park between my house and the city center. The Gardens were teeming with hundreds of families having picnics, playing live music, and just having a wonderful time. There was such a good vibe in the park and I couldn't help but smile running through. One of the big differences that I've noticed living in South Africa opposed to the United States is how dedicated Africans are to their family and how much they cherish familial values. This could not have been clearer than the image in the park on Heritage Day, a pure celebration of what it means to be together and enjoy the simplicity of each other's company. 

When I arrived home, it was a unanimous decision for my roommate Andrew and I that the only proper way to celebrate our Rhode Island (yes, he too is also from RI) and Italian heritage was to do what we do best.....sit on the beach and get a tan!!! So as our ambitious four other roommates headed out the door to hike for three hours, we turned in the opposite direction armed with our towels and books, and went straight for the beach! 

Camps Bay beach is a simple ten minute drive from our house and although you are still in South Africa, one would believe you traveled all the way to the Caribbean. Beautiful palm trees, sparkling blue water, and waves galore. The beach was filled with Holiday beach-goers and the roadside restaurants were populated with brunch-eaters and the like. Camps Bay is a much more public beach than the ones that I had been to prior. It reminded me much like Fort Lauderdale, with a bit of a commercial feel. Nevertheless, a beach is a beach and I loved every minute of it! We met up with two of our friends from work. One of them, Ryan Janks, brought his three year old son Erin with him as well. Erin was lots of fun and kept us entertained for hours on end. The best part of the afternoon was when all of the sudden, a crowd of 100 people start dancing on the street in a FLASH MOB! I couldn't believe it, I'd never seen a flash mob in real life but have always wanted too. In case you are unfamiliar, a flash mob is a coordinated dance put on by a very large group of people who minutes before are simply going about as normal civilians. Then all of sudden, a massive coordinated dance breaks out on the street! It was so much fun and the dancers were great. I can now say I've witnessed my first ever flash mob!

FLASH MOB!

After basking in the rays for a few hours we packed up and headed back home because in just a few hours we were hosting our first BRAII!!! A Braii is basically a cookout/bbq in South African terms. National Heritage Day happens to also be National Braii Day. Thus, my roommates and I thought it would only be appropriate to celebrate the holiday as Africans do. We invited our neighbors over, three South African girls who live on the third floor of our house. We also had a few friends from work over and our neighbors brought friends as well. It turned out to be a lovely evening with some grilling on the porch, lots of drinks flowing, and fun being had by all. I must say, it was the perfect way to end my very first National Heritage Day. I really hope it won't be my last because I'm starting to fall in love with this place! 

The gals (my roommates) before the big Braii

Some roommates, some neighborhoods, and lots of friends!

Charlie grilling away on our tiny charcoal grill

Great Neighbors

Running around Cape Town

Running has always been a passion of mine. As many of my fellow running gurus know, there is nothing in the world like waking up at dawn, tying up those shoe laces and heading out the door to be greeted by the rising sun. Rain or shine, it is quite possibly the best way to start the day. Fresh, crisp air, the sun beaming on your face, and a full world outside just waiting to be explored. 

The best part of running for me is that it is an opportunity each and every day to explore my surroundings. My best runs have always been those where I don't plan ahead, take a few left and right turns unknowingly, and work my way back home. I've come across amazing things by just getting lost and taking in my surroundings. Running in Cape Town has been no different. I have absolutely loved running around my neighborhood and developing a familiarity with the area. I feel like each week I find something new and exciting that is just a few minutes away from where I've been living all along. It's been the best way for me to grow familiar with Cape Town and it has helped me feel much more comfortable with my surroundings. 

My daily running route around the neighborhoods

I quickly came to realize about five minutes into my first run here that Cape Town is MUCH more hillier than Rhode Island. As a matter of fact, the two don't even compare. But I've always had a nag for hill running and fortunately, I've really enjoyed the challenge. Each morning, I venture out around my neighborhood and run up toward the base of Table Mountain through gorgeous neighborhoods on the hills of the mountain. I love getting to see all the school children heading off to school in their school uniforms while their parents are dressed in snappy suits and ties. After cresting the hill tops in the surrounding neighborhoods, I make my way back down the mountain and the view could not be prettier. The whole cityscape stretches down below and if I time it correctly, the rising sun paints the sky         a beautiful orange. 

Water Reservoir...view from Lion's Head Mountain

On most mornings, my descent down  the mountain ends at the water reservoir about 1/4 mile from my house. There is an 800 meter cement track around the water reservoir that is populated day and night by runners like myself. It is a gated area with guards at both ends so I feel extremely safe in the area. I can't help but think back to the days I used to run around the Barrington High School Track. Fortunately, this track offers much better views not only of the city bowl down below, but of Table mountain on one side and Lions Head on the other. At every turn around the track, it's a breathtaking site. Lots of times I'll forget how long I'm even running along the reservoir because I get lost in the pure beauty. Luckily, I usually make it back to reality in time to realize that the 9 a.m. work day doesn't wait for runners like myself lost in a daze.  

View from Dog Park

 One of my favorite discoveries from running is the amazing dog park just around the corner from my house. The dog park is a great venue where dogs run at their free will and play with each other while their owners have picnics on the green grass or read on the many benches nearby. Lots of people don't even have pets but simply go for strolls in the park or set up a blanket to enjoy the afternoon.  The first time I ran through the park, I couldn't believe it had taken me two weeks to find this great place. Trees and green grass populate the entire park, a beautiful large fountain sits in the center of the park, and there  are SO many dogs. I'm a big dog lover so the park is a great place to live vicariously through others.

 

Large Fountain in the middle of the Dog Park

The best part about the park is that each night around 5 pm, there is doggy school, where dogs are taught to sit, stay, heel, and be obedient. I literally laughed out loud as I saw this because I couldn't help but think about the time that my family and I took our own dog Striker to Doggy School only to find out that two days later, he would be a Doggy School drop-out, earning an F in the course. Needless to say, we all knew he was special to begin with.

More of the Dog Park

Just last weekend, I ventured on a long run to the Promenade, which is a 3 mile boardwalk all along the coastline. It was the most beautiful run I have taken since I've been here. Despite the grey overcast weather, I felt at home by the ocean. The boardwalk was streaming with walkers, joggers, young and old. It was so beautiful. I definitely plan on marking this route as one of my favorites for the longer weekend runs!

Waterfront Promenade

St. Mary's Cathedral....my new Parish!

Apologies for the delay in blog entries. Between work and trying to experience all the great things Cape Town has to offer, it's hard to sit down and actually write about them! Needless to say, I'm back and here to report on my new found parish, St. Mary's Cathedral!

Having been raised in a devoted catholic family my whole life, I had every intention to continue attending services here in South Africa. Lucky for me, St. Mary's Cathedral is a beautiful Roman Catholic Cathedral just a five minute walk from my house! It has wonderful architecture on the outside and is actually the oldest Catholic Cathedral in South Africa! The parish is a great mix of all different types of people, from native Cape Towners, (both Afrikans and Zulu), to visitors and passerbys. The thing I love about the Catholic church is that no matter where you go to worship, even if it is thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, you know you will feel right at home because the mass is always the same. I walked out of the church after my first mass a few weeks ago on a Sunday night so overjoyed by the fact that I had found a parish that I was very happy with and reminded me of home. Plus, The celebrant, congregation, and everyone involved are so nice and friendly. 

The celebrant at St. Mark's is an energetic priest who says a great mass. Just last Sunday at 10 am mass, he stood at the altar at the end of the mass and said 'I heard a bunch of "amens" at communion so there must be a few Americans out there this morning.' He then encouraged us all to raise our hands and introduce ourselves to the congregation and where we were from. I slowly raised my hand and said I was from Rhode Island. His response was priceless...."Miss Rhode Island, Miss Congeniality!" Haha I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that all the way across the world and the few things anyone knows about Rhode Island is the hit comedy Miss Congeniality! But I guess if it weren't for Sandra Bullock, he wouldn't have known about Rhode Island (as most do not) so I can't really complain! 

I'm happy to report that I now feel that I've established a solid Sunday tradition for 10 am mass. Although St. Mary's is no St. Luke's or the Providence Cathedral, it's just up my ally and exactly what I was looking for. All in all.....success!

Lazy day at the Beach in Llandundo :)

By the end of my first official 5-day work week, I had never been more happy to say hello to the weekend! Although it was a great week at work getting introduced to all the intricacies of the office, it was the first time I've worked a 9-5 job in a while from Monday through Friday so it took some time getting used to. The walk home from work on Friday was so relaxing and enjoyable knowing that I had 2 full days to continue exploring all around Cape Town! First things first, my roommates and I arrived home and poured ourselves glasses of wine to celebrate. The night was pretty low key just hanging around in the apartment because of the rain. Nevertheless, we had a great time. 

All my roommates and I on our deck before heading to the beach!

Saturday arrived with glaring sunshine and 67 degrees out...such a nice surprise! It was a former intern's last weekend, Sarah, here in Cape Town. She had been here since August and was leaving on Tuesday so we wanted to make her last weekend memorial. Therefore we packed our bags and hit the beach!!!! Keep in mind, it's winter here in Cape Town. It's nice quite warm enough for bathing suits but definitely still comfortable enough to sit on blankets with a t-shirt and shorts and enjoy the beautiful beach. 

Sarah swung by the intern house and picked the five of us up and we all headed to Llandundo. Llandundo is about a thirty minute drive away and much less crowded than the more populated beach, Camps Bay. It's a bit farther drive but definitely worth it. The drive there is absolutely amazing. Although I've never been to California, I couldn't help but think that I was driving along the Pacific Coast highway. The road curves all along the ocean front for miles and miles with beautiful waves crashing below. Good thing I wasn't driving because I certainly wouldn't have been paying attention to the road. Approaching Llandundo, you are greeted by hills of gorgeous houses with incredible views of the ocean. It was one of those moments that makes me think twice about the fact that I'm actually in South Africa rather than Laguna Beach, California. Then I saw the Caution sign in the parking lot.......and I remembered where I was:

My fear of swimming into a shark subsided almost immediately as I stepped out of the car and saw the aqua colored waves crashing on the shore, with beautiful white sea caps in the distance. This is a popular beach for surfing and I can see exactly why. The waves were forming magnificent tunnels. It was at this moment that I convinced myself when the weather gets warmer and the water temp rises a bit, I'm going to learn to surf! The minute my toes hit the white, soft sand, my body immediately relaxed and the smile on my face got even bigger. We all spread out our blankets and towels and sprawled out to soak up the gorgeous sun. 

We were greeted by a few other GRS friends and after a full afternoon at the beach climbing rocks, playing frisbee, snacking on wine and cheese, we took a few final group pics and headed on home. It was overall a wonderful, relaxing afternoon and a great way to bid farewell to Sarah. Oh and did I mention, also a great way to catch up on my tan!

Our attempt to build a human pyramid

Hooter, Alice, Sarah, and I (all GRS employees)

The 2 men of the house.....Charlie (Left) and Andrew

View from the beach....Para-sailer jumping off Lion's Head Mountain and landing on the Beach

Brushing off the 'ol Soccer Skills

Upon committing to serve a year for Grassroot Soccer, I was fully aware that soccer would most likely come charging back in my life. Although I am working in the finance office and do not go out to the field to play with the Program's Team, soccer is life here in South Africa. Plus, most people that work for GRS love playing soccer too. Having grown up playing Barrington Youth Soccer in the fall and East Bay competitive league in the spring, then winning New Englands with the Tabor Girls Soccer Team in High School, I have definitely had my fair share of soccer. Thus, when I was informed we would be having an inter-GRS soccer scrimmage every Sunday, I was at first very nervous. Would I totally embarrass myself with my rusty soccer skills? What if everyone is so much better than me?

All these worries were useless though because as 4 pm rolled around on Sunday afternoon, I was filled with excitement. Who cares if I wasn't any good...it would at least be fun to get outside and run around a bit! My roommates and I headed up the hill behind our house and arrived five minutes later at a mini-turf field in our neighborhood. We were greeted by fellow employees Hooter and Talia and two of their friends who would be joining us. Our senior bookkeeper, Vernon, showed up a few minutes later, shoeless, but ready to show off his 60-year old veteran skills.

I did some quick warm-up touches on the ball and the game began! What a blast the game was! We played 5 v 5 for over an hour a half! I even managed to score a few goals for me team! It felt so great to be running around and brushing off my old, rusty, Tabor Soccer skills. A lot of it came back so much more naturally than i thought! Plus, it helps when the view form the field is overlooking table mountain to the left and the sun setting over Lion's Head to your right. Not too bad! Everyone was pretty exhausted when we finally called the game. Nevertheless, we all had huge smiles on our faces and were so glad to have made it out here despite our fears and worries! I can't even remember which team actually took home the win...that's how much fun the game was...just playing for the love of soccer. Such a wonderful time! I'm already really looking forward to next Sunday's match!

Walking home with my five roommates and my arm draped over my roomy's shoulder, I couldn't think of a better way to have spent my Sunday afternoon. I felt so lucky being here with wonderful people, having lots of fun, and taking in the beauty of Cape Town. As the sun slowly set behind us coloring the sky red, we approached our Gordon Street House with smiles and laughter. Another fabulous day accounted for.

The Dubliner, Old Biscuit Mills, and the World's Biggest Food Coma

As Friday night rolled around, we were all very excited to explore the night life of the city. For our first official Friday night, my housemates and I chose to check out the Dubliner, which is an Irish pub located on Long street. Needless to say, when we went there we didn't feel like we were in South Africa at all. We met a lot of University of Cape Town students and some older Cape Town residents. The best part about the night was the live band, which consisted of an older couple playing all old American classics. They were really good and it was nice to have a little taste of home!

Saturday morning arrived quickly and all the roommates and I were up early filled with much excitement! The reason being.....we were headed to Old Biscuit Mills for the morning! Since I arrived on Tuesday, I have heard everyone raving about HOW GOOD old Biscuit Mills was and how you absolutely have to go there at least once while being in Cape Town. The reason being...they offer nothing but delicious, organic, farm fresh prepared food! Imagine the biggest farmers market that you've ever been to and multiply it be ten. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll have an idea of how great Old Biscuit Mills is. The market is open every Saturday all year round. Vendors sign up to set up there stations there. Once I arrived, I knew immediately why my friends said that you must go there with an empty stomach because by the time you leave, you will be so full but VERY satisfied. And boy were they right! I had to take a full 40 minutes to walk around the entire market just to get my bearings and witness everything that Old Biscuit Mills had to offer. I discovered not only wine tasting stations and cider distributors, but fresh fish vendors, baguette and cheese stations, oven fired pizza, an omelet bar, crepe stations, a Belgium waffle vendor, fresh fish sellers, organic vegetable retailers, smoothie companies, tons of delicious pastries from tens of different bakeries, bagels, Greek affair, shwarmas, sandwich stations, cheese samplers, etc. It was overwhelming but in such a good way! After taking in all that the place had to offer and tasting many delicious samples, I settled on the omelet bar and had a delicious egg white omelet with Norwegian salmon and sauteed coriander. Needless to say, it was delicious! It was so fun to be in such a great local environment. I felt like I was back at home at my own farmers market. The square was crawling with University of Cape Town students, tourists, and visitors from near and far. There were not many locals here which was a bit surprisingly but I get the feeling it is much more of a tourist destination that a regularly visited affair. Mini-taxis lined the streets ready to drop off and pick up all that needed transportation. Although it was a bit chilly in the morning and only a high in the 50s, it felt like a wonderful fall morning. My roommates and I gather together after each person had their hour and a half full of delicious food. It's not hard to believe that we couldn't stop talking about how great this place was and that without a doubt, we'd be back next Saturday!

The fun didn't end here though. Since we had been dropped of by the last year interns who took the car for the day, we were left to ourselves to discover the world of South African public transportation....called Mini-taxis. Taxis in South Africa are not quite like those in the United States. This is mostly because any New York Cab would feel like a five-star limousine in comparison. However, they are the most common mode of transportation all around South Africa and also very cheap. Any ride is only 5 rand, wherever you are going throughout the city (about 85 cents). Not a bad price! The Mini-taxis, shown to the left, are white vans that pack as many people as possible inside. When we flagged down our mini-taxi headed to Cape Town, I didn't actually think they would stop because the car was definitely beyond full. BUT, these drivers are like magicians and can make seats out of anything, including a black plastic crate which I sat on! haha. There must have been at least 15 people in the van. Once we arrived at our final destination about ten minutes away, my toosch was definitely sore from the plastic crate. But, it had only cost me 5 rand and so I was very satisfied! Plus, it's a great way to actually feel like you are part of the city because every single local uses these mini-taxis. The highways are filled with the white vans dodging in and out of lanes. It's quite an adventurous and exciting ride. 

Once we were back home around mid-afternoon on Saturday, my roommates and I all fell under the spell of a food-coma and slept for a glorious two hours. With a full stomach and the cheerful memories of fun morning, I had a wonderful sleep and woke up ready to embrace our first Saturday night on the town!

Khayelitsha Football for Hope Centre

Unfortunately, it was raining on Friday when we awoke but that did not deter our excitement for the day. Everyone couldn't wait to get out and actually see the FFHC after hearing so much about it. After a thirty minute drive, we arrived to the center. Driving through the township was really quite eye-opening and brought me back to reality that I was in fact in South Africa. Living and working right downtown in Cape Town sometimes tend to blind you to existence of the townships and the dire poverty that exists all around the country. We pulled up to the center and were greeted with such enthusiasm from the directors there, as well as the intern who worked there last year, Talia. She gave us a 20 minutes presentation on the history of the center and what programs are run there. Then the real fun started......

Khayelitsha Township

Every Friday, there is a coaches meeting at the FFHC which is a way to bring together all 23 local coaches and train them in leadership skills, check-in to see how the Skillz practices are going, and just have a chance to bond and create some lasting friendships. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to sit in on the meeting this week and it was great. Before the meeting, as we were waiting for the coaches to arrive, two of the Master Coaches led us through some of the Skillz practice drills such as Risk Field and HIV limbo. The purpose of these activities is to teach important facts about HIV while creating a fun and sporty environment. Coaches began to file in gradually as the afternoon wore on and in the meantime, we played a bunch of energizers. One of these such energizers happened to include making all the new American interns dance in the middle of the 20 person circle.....ALONE! Now, I have a semi-fear of dancing in front of crowds because I have no moves what-so-ever and get embarrassed really easily. SO needless to say, my heart was pounding as the singing and clapping got louder and headed my way. I jumped into the middle of circle and pulled out the sprinkler dance move. TO my relief, it was wonderfully receive and a bunch of the coaches even repeated it after me because they thought it was so funny. Embarrassing moment #1....success. Nevertheless, I recovered from my severe blushing with little to no real damage. I think it's going to be a requirement for me to get over my self-conscious dancing throughout the year and just let loose! It's something that I plan on working on Saturday night at the dance clubs. 

Meeting many of the coaches was really rewarding because these are the people who are interacting with the  kids and really making a change in their lives. It's not hard to see that they are magnificent, energetic, and caring people that really want to make a change for youth. Many of them grew up in the township and some were even participants in GRS programs when they were younger. It's inspiring to see that these individuals are as young as 19 and are making such great strides to help their community. During the meeting, the site coordinator talked about different leadership styles, an intervention called leadership compass. Having done the activity at orientation just a few weeks ago, it was cool to be able to sit back and just watch as these coaches recognized their leadership qualities, etc. After the meeting wrapped up, we said our good-byes and headed for home in the pouring rain. I was so pleased on the way home and felt really excited to be part of a community movement that is clearly so powerful and rewarding for not only the participants, but their mentors and everyone involved in the process. I hope to make it out of the office to witness some programs out at the center. In particular, I would like to check out Skillz Street, which is a girls-only program that reaches out to 14-18 year old girls and is run after school Monday-Thursday. The aim of the program is to battle gender-based violence and to empower female youth. 

I couldn't believe how quickly Friday passed and before I knew it, we were back home and ready to make plans for our first official Friday night in Cape Town!!!!!