Hello!! Greetings from South Africa! :) I hope all is well with everyone! The past two weeks have been remarkable! I transitioned to another Home-stay in the Bo Kapp. This is a muslim community located on the outskirts of Cape Town. I have found it is so nice being so close to the center of the city.
Living in a muslim community has been by far one of the most rewarding experiences I have had on this trip. I have learned so much about the islamic faith and traditions. Prayer occurs five times a day and the times of the prayer all depend on where the sun is located in the sky. Here in the muslim community at each time of prayer there is a calling throughout the community reminding everyone to pray. At this particular time the first prayer is around 5:45 am each morning so it definitely took a little adjustment getting used to the wake up call even though it is so peaceful and calming.
I also was fortunate to attend a muslim service with my host family. This service was for only women and is held every Monday evening. Typically the service is held in Africans but since there were a few american students in attendance the host mother who leads the group spoke in english as well. It was such a wonderful experience to be with such an inspiring group of mothers.
My homestay partner, Candice and I dressed in traditional wear for our first service at a Mosque
My group also was able to meet with members of the Muslim Student Association from a local college for a panel discussion on their religion and the college life. The students were so open when it came to conversations about the clothing women and men wear, their prayer ritual, the foods they eat and even their dating lives. It was such a wonderful experience to talk to students our own age and get to hear their perspectives.
Last week I stayed very busy with class work and site visits. We went to the NGO Klethmpi which is an organization that established HIV clinics and empowers community members to get involved through training programs. These programs lead to employment within their own community through community health care worker positions or other similar job options.
The NGO flyer for Khethpimpilo
Later in the week my group took a visit to the University of Cape Town campus which was gorgeous. The view from the top was amazing. It was such a great feeling to be on a college campus again and see other students my age. I was even able to meet up for lunch with a Saint Michaels student who is studying abroad for the semester at the University of Cape Town! :)
Over the weekend I went to the Old Biscuit Mill market which was filled with so many things I wanted to buy! :) The food part of the market was amazing!! There were so many options all of which looked delicious. It was so hard to decide.
old bisquit mill market
I also was fortunate enough to listen to many amazing great lecturers these past two weeks. Many spoke about their specific research experience in regards to the public health related fields. Many of the people studied at University of Cape Town for the doctoral level degeres.
Hard to believe this is my final week of classes here in South Africa. Next Monday, April 7th I start my vacation week. I am going with a group of friends on a mini safari for three days and then we have rented an apartment for the remainder of the week. I definitely am getting so excited to finally have some time to unwind and relax after a busy last few weeks!
This week has been comprised of a lot of work to finish up end of country assignments and presentations. I am definitely looking forward to Monday! :) I am getting so excited for vacation to officially start on Tuesday!!
This is the view from the gym I have been going to! :)
Today I was able to go to Table Mountain which had some of the best views I have seen yet of Cape Town! It was such a gorgeous, beatuiful day which made the views even nicer.
I hope all is well with everyone. Sorry for the delays in the posts the internet has been very hard to come by here in South Africa. Wifi is much more expensive to get here.
Hillary xoxoox
"The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion." -Terry Orlick
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