It has been a weekend of new food and new experiences! During lunch on Thursday I went to the African café on campus and had pap for the first time. Pap is...well it's really hard to explain. It is made of maize and is sort of the consistency of rice. At any rate, it's really good. I had it with chicken curry which was really great as I have become a recent curry fanatic (hint hint in-laws to be). Then I went on a field excursion with my environmental studies class to the Bellville Landfill. I became acutely aware of the amount of rubbish I produce as I was surrounded with 75 years of detritus. Enlightening...but not somewhere I would want to spend much time. Recycle people!!!

On Friday I had lunch at an Indian restaurant down the street, I had my first bunnychow. No, it is not a plate of carrots. Bunnychow consists of a white bread loaf, hollowed out and filled with curry. So good, but really spicy! After Dana and I thoroughly stuffed ourselves we went down town to the district six museum. What an experience that was.


To give a bit of background... Under apartheid Cape Town's colored communities had no more of an easy time of it than the blacks. District six, immediately east of the city center, was the suburb that, more than any other, gave Cape Town it's cosmopolitan atmosphere and life. It was primarily a poor, overcrowded colored ghetto but people of every race lived there. The streets were alive with people, from children to traders. Jazz was the lifeblood, and the district was home to many musicians. Being so close to the city center, it infected the whole city with its vitality.


This state of affairs naturally did not appeal to the National Party government so, in 1966, District six was classified as a white area. Its 50,000 people, some of whose families had been there for five generations, were gradually evicted and dumped in bleak and soulless townships like Athlone, Mitchell's Plain and Atlantis. Friends, neighbors, even relations were separated. Bulldozers moved in and the multicultural heart was ripped out of the city, while in the townships, depressed and dispirited youths increasingly joined gangs and turned to crime.

Today District six largely remains an open wasteland, a depressing monument to the cruelty and stupidity of the government. A ray of hope, though, came on 27 November 2000 when President Thabo Mbeki signed a document handing back the confiscated land to the former residents of District six. Although it would be impossible for all 8,000 or so forcibly removed families to return (new constructions such as the Cape Technikon college now occupy part of the area), some do plan to reclaim their property and live again in a rejuvenated District Six.

Refreshingly, though, the District Six Museum is a touching and uplifting tribute to District six. It feels as if an entire community has been crammed into a single building: street signs, photographs, maps and trinkets flesh out the story of the community, while the unmistakable spirit of District Six lingers in the creaky floorboards and uneven stairs. An essential part of Cape history. The museum is as much for the people of the now-vanished District six as it is about them. The displays are moving and poignant: a floor covered with a large-scale map of District six, former residents having labeled where their demolished homes and features of their neighborhood were; reconstructions of home interiors; faded photographs and recordings. Most memorable of all is the staff, practically all displaced residents themselves, each with a heartbreaking story to tell.

After a moving tour of the museum we enjoyed Koeksisters and Rooibos tea talking about what we had just experienced. Koeksisters are plaited deep-fried dough smothered in sweet syrup. It's much like a syrup version of Spanish churros. You have to try everything once right!?!?!

When we got home Kat and I were visiting and our friend Nick stopped by for our weekly chat over tea. My flatmate Andrew came home a bit later...he got mugged!!! It happened just down the street in broad day light were I walk every day. I couldn't believe it. It was a good reminder to stay alert and not walk around with anything of value exposed. Poor Andrew, thankfully he wasn't hurt.

Friday night I went with Chris and his family to see a play called "The Tall Horse" at the Baxter Theater (right across the street from my flat). The dialogue was a bit difficult to understand as they were constantly alternating between Xhosa, English and French, but the puppets were amazing! One of the puppets was a 14-foot tall giraffe operated by two men on stilts. All of the puppets were so life like, it was amazing! After the show Chris's parents took us to dinner at the Hussar Grill, such good food!!! We discussed our road trip plans and what needs to be done before we leave. I am so excited to see the rest of South Africa!!!