First Week of School!

This week has been an absolute whirlwind as was expected. I registered last week on Friday but unfortunately, they couldn’t actually enter me into the system until Monday so that meant that I couldn’t get my student card or access my campus e-mail, or find the venues for my classes, etc. It is somewhat stressful to know that you are starting class and you don’t even know where they are or if you are registered correctly for them. Monday rolled around and I left really early to try and get everything sorted out. I was able to get my student card and find my classes. Though, in my first class I realized that I had a class conflict with the lab times. I resorted to starting the add/drop process which unfortunately is not so simple. I selected another class to take, which conveniently was the next period and went to that class. I found out in that class that we would start labs TODAY. As if I didn’t already have a busy day. I was able to get an add/drop form during lunch and find the course convenor (which may or may not be the lecturer at any given time) to make sure that I could add the class. Then I went to my first lab. I was supposed to have a lab coat though I wasn’t aware of that before I came so I had to borrow one. To make matters worse, I was the only one left without a partner so I had to work by myself. Generally, I am fine to work by myself but I was flustered because I didn’t know protocol in the lab and due to the sheer chaos of the day thus far. Luckily, I finished the lab(though I was definitely the last one done) though not without major mistakes. I could only hope that my data was presentable. I had many more things still left to do but I was exhausted. I left to go home at 4:30 with barely a break since I arrived that day at 7:30am.

Tuesday and the rest of the week was much better. I was able to go early to get my password to access all of the campus online utilities (e-mail and Vula, an online tool like Sakai that allows teachers to upload resources and assignments so that students can access them from a remote location) and finish adding and dropping classes.

I learned this week that I was going to play with the UCT orchestra for the opera that is playing in a few weeks. That should be really fun! Vongani, one of Lane’s flat mates, is a chorus member in the opera. He was telling me all about it. He mentioned that the conductor was a short-tempered American. I wasn’t too scared. I know how to deal with that type (hehe jk.) Actually, I was disappointed because I wanted to be taught by someone different than an American. An American can teach me any time, but it should be interesting nonetheless. I went to my first rehearsal for the opera on Friday. It was a typical rehearsal but I did learn that they tune to A442. It sounded so sharp to my ears. In addition, the principle oboist’s reeds were bizarre. It is hard for me even to explain what they looked like but it was more like a slab of cane really than a shaped reed. Most of the reed still had bark on it and only the top third was scraped at all. From the top third it was a gradual decrease in thickness until the end of the reed. I guess that means I am on my own for making reeds.

My first African studies class was great. We talked about the identity of Cape Town and how it is has changed from pre-apartheid, apartheid, and post apartheid. It was interesting to find out that UCT was actually built to resemble many of the Western colleges such as Oxford or Cambridge. Up until recently, the buildings must be structurally constructed so as to hold ivy if it is planted. In addition, Jammie steps, the main entrance to upper campus, looks out upon all of Cape Town. According to my professor this was deliberate construction so that the intellectuals during this time could look down on the teeming city but be removed from it so as to distance themselves. It was interesting perspective on the history of a university that prides itself on being one of the first integrated universities in South Africa. We also learned that during the forced removals in the apartheid, the land that was freed up in this process was sold very cheaply. In fact, the Cavendish mall, a really big mall close to the university, was built on forced removal land. Personally, this is really ironic because this mall is the quintessential western archetype and it was built on removed Africans. However, no one ever mentions these great ironies. In fact, in common everyday interactions people do not talk about the apartheid at all. However, the legacies of apartheid are everywhere and I cannot wait to uncover the influences behind everyday life in Cape Town.

Speaking of history, today CIEE arranged an outing to a winery near Stellenbosch. The Nelson family started a family winery in 1989. However, Mr. Nelson came from a law background and did not know too much about grapes. So, when he started his winery he wrote a contract that stated if the laborers made award winning wine then he would give 16 hectares of land to the families to do as they please. Well in 1996 the Nelson's Creek won the Trophy for South Africa's Best Chardonnay and was adjudged the Champion Wine Producer in this region. Mr. Nelson kept his word and donated that land to the families. They decided to start their own wine business, making them the first black people to own a winery. It is rather tragic however. These laborers were good at taking care of the vines but not great with the business aspect. The New Beginnings winery, as they were called, stopped producing wine in 2003 due to financial reasons and is currently going to sell the land. The legacy of black ownership will continue because built into the contract, the land can only be purchased by black empowerment groups and can only be used by agricultural means. It was a very interesting tour and I think that it outlines some of the struggles of the black people in South Africa since apartheid.

Anyways, everything is going well. I am hoping that the next week of school is less chaotic and that I will learn many more things that I can share with everyone. I know that next week I will be going to a rugby game (my first) so a report on that will be a must for sure. Also, I have a variety of pictures that I want to upload to my blog, though I am going to wait until I get to a internet café and devote a whole post to pictures and explanations so you can look forward to that as well. I am hoping that it will be before the end of next week. Maybe even tomorrow, some time. I hope that everything is going well at home!