The conference dinner that I mentioned was a lot of fun. Lots of interesting conversation about linguistics, travel, etc. Probably not the best dinner to bring a non-linguistically involved spouse to!
The next two days of the conference went really well, it was all very sociable with everyone going out every lunch and every evening. A very wonderful pub in the town served a fantastic ostrich salad and a bucket of beer. I kid you not. The jug of beer is out. A red bucket filled with ice was delivered to our table, with six stubbies of the ale of choice nestled inside for the grand price of 50 rand ($10 AU). Also tried some other local favourites at different times, the Cape Malay curries are very good.
Ran out of clean clothes by the Saturday and in the dorm room in the half dark packed a daypack with dirty laundry and took it to the university laundry and paid for them to do it for me. When I went to pick it up in my lunch break was very surprised when the lady handed it back to me with the words "Your camera is in there too". The camera must have been in the bottom of the bag. Ooops. Wasn't I the lucky little traveler?
On the Monday, after the conference finished we had an excursion to the !Khwa ttu reserve, which has been set up by and for the Khoi and San peoples who are indigenous to this region. They have a cultural centre there and a one teacher school for their kids. The kids did a magnificent song and dance performance for us. Then we sat on hay bales on the back of tractor trailers and went to the top of a hill with a view of the ocean where they served us a huge cold lunch. The land had been farmed but was quite poor for farming so they are trying to replant native plants and have reintroduced some small game (antelopes, etc). Had some great conversations with the guides who are justifiably proud of the land they have reclaimed themselves.
We attended a lecture after that about language initiatives in the region and then hopped back on the bus for the hour and a half drive back to Stellenbosch. Large sign on the side of the road. "No hooting. Ostriches getting laid".
Today, met up with two other conference goers and we all caught the train back to Cape Town. I walked back to my old hostel and moved in. Went out for a walk and had so many people asking me for money along the way that I went back to my hostel feeling v. depressed. It didn't seem to make me feel any better whether I'd given them anything or not. The problems of poverty here are so huge, it feels like anything you might do is so small. Even if you worked there your whole life it would just be a drop in a bucket.
I have had a cold since Friday (several days of sore throat followed by dripping nose and watery eyes) so I lay down on my bed and had a nap, which made me feel marginally better. Tonight I am going to go out to a bar and have something to eat, possibly with fellow backpackers, and then tomorrow I will be boarding my plane again to come home. I am ready to go home for this time. Probably this feeling is enhanced by my current fluey misery.
Being here has been so amazing though, I will definitely be coming back to Africa (with husband in tow) in the future.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment