Week 2.5

It was exciting watching the final of the Confederations Cup! The U.S. scored two goals in the first half continuing to beat expectations, but unfortunately couldn't hold out and Brazil dominated the second half and scored 3 goals. I can only imagine how much fun it would be to be here for the World Cup. The energy is amazing around soccer!

The office has been quiet this week. The women I work with in the Communications Unit are in Tanzania for the week, 3 people are out sick in my department and loads of other people took off on trips for work after the mandatory reflection week. I've been working on an article based on data from the Afrobarometer, which tries to measure democracy and the possibility for democracy across Sub-Saharan Africa through surveys every few years.

There is a group of Iranian visitors in the office this week here on a trip organized by an American exchange program. They came to South Africa because it was less controversial than the U.S. or Western Europe. We were instructed not to emphasize the role of Idasa in the exchange program, all of their handouts were labeled as part of the cultural exchange program, leaving out that it was a division of the Institute for Democracy.

While I have come to feel very safe in Sunnyside during the day, everyday there are constant reminders of the enormous problem of crime here. At work, emails are sent out about "smash and grab" hot spots. "Smash and grabs" are when a group of people attack a car stopped at a stop sign or red light, usually at night, by breaking the windows and grabbing everything inside. Buildings are also highly secured. Outside of most office buildings there are security guards. Cars are kept within barred gates or garages within barred gates and all apartment buildings are surrounded by gates with barbed wire at the top. Most buildings also state the type of security used on the building. To enter our building we go through a barred gate at the ground level and then another barred gate and locked door to get into our apartment. However, the large majority of the crime seems to occur at night and can be avoided by staying in safe areas after dark and not flaunting valuables. The other problem is that most people don't seem to trust the police. A recent New York Times article talked about violence in South Africa and that there is a reasonable sized police force, however it is inadequate for the amount of violence. My Zimbabwean flatmates hated the police because they would frequently bother foreign Africans and pull them off the streets demanding they show their visas and deporting them if they don't have one.

Sunnyside, while definitely not Palo Alto, is not bad either. I've heard the neighborhood referred to as the "ghetto" and constantly see shocked faces when I tell people I live there. It's true, I have seen very few white people in the neighborhood so I standout. The white people I do see tend to be disabled or in business suits working at the trade offices. However, Sunnyside also has a nice community and a large foreign, African population. I've met quite a few Zimbabweans through my old flatmates, people from Gabon and Nigeria. Sunnyside has one main busy street, Esselen street which is roughly a mile long and strewn with fast-food restaurants, cell phone stores and small markets. There is one main mall in town, Sunnypark, where there are two grocery stores, a movie theater and a few nicer stores. Sunnypark also has my favorite restaurant that I've discovered so far--Capellos--where you can order good food or drinks and sit on a balcony with heat lamps.

Car accidents are also very common here. My first two days I saw a car accident at the same intersection on the way to work. A woman I work with also had an accident the second week I was here and tow trucks wait along the road for accidents rather than needing to be called.

On a more positive note, I'm really looking forward to planning some weekend trips and a trip to Cape Town in August. There is so much to see from Pretoria--Kruger Park, Lesotho, Swaziland, Durban, Mozambique plus numerous day trips to nearby nature reserves, Sun City, Gold Reef City, Rhino and Lion Park, Freedom Park and more!

Funny and Interesting Things

Here are a couple pictures of the view from our balcony.

The other day Anna and I called the elevator to go downstairs (we’re on the 5th floor, called the fourth floor because the ground level doesn’t count) and when it opened up this little boy with white food all over his face started crying/screaming as he ran at us out of the elevator. Then, when he didn’t see anyone he recognized, he quickly turned around and tried to run back onto the elevator but the doors were already closing. Luckily, Anna grabbed him before he hit the doors, which are dangerous because they don’t have any sensors. He was adorable and his mom ran up to get him a few seconds later.

There is a man who sells whole fish in the trunk of his car just down the block. Most of them are at least a couple feet long and include catfish and other kinds I don’t recognize.

Yesterday I went to a large mall in Menlyn, which felt like mall of America—it was huge! The main difference is that it was packed with people—going to mall is a common weekend activity. It had all kinds of stores, department stores, boutiques, an enormous Walmart-like store called Checkers, camera stores, restaurants of all kinds—we had sushi—and even some random American stores like Nine West and The Body Shop.

There was an STA Travel at the mall with $500 tickets to NYC!

On the way to the mall we took a group taxi, minivan thing that are common all over Africa. In Kenya they were called Matatus and in Tanzania Daladalas. On the ride there we saw dancers at an intersection, one dancing facing each set of cars waiting at the lights. When the lights were red the dancer in front of us with short dred locks, a silver painted face, shorts, clown-like tennis shoes and a huge smile danced so well! He did tricks like a mime with a pretend ball he was juggling in front of the oncoming cars. He was so entertaining! Then he would collect money before the light turned green.

At the Idasa offices there are a bunch of cats that sit outside in the courtyard where many people eat lunch. No one knows where they come from, but they sit and watch us eat then try to lick up leftovers when anyone leaves their plate outside.

Cell phones here are so cheap, like last summer. You can buy a phone for $20 at stores anywhere then pay for time as you go, which isn’t expensive either. It’s easy to have a phone and explains why more people have cell phones than most other technology including TV, Internet and even mailing addresses.

Most of the ice cream here is made from vegetable fat instead of dairy. If it is made from dairy it is specified as “dairy ice cream.” Also, milk and eggs aren’t refrigerated. I found a froyo shop at the mall—everyone thought I was crazy for calling it froyo!

The most common staple dish here is pap, which is similar to ugali from last summer—kind of like solid, white polenta. Samp is another popular staple dish, but I haven’t yet tried it. I’m surprised how similar the traditional food is over most of eastern and southern Africa. I’ve heard western food is different, but the stews and pap/pasta/rice combination is the same in east Africa, South Africa and much of central Africa too according to my Zimbabwean flatmates.

While my flatmate Rose, who has lived in South Africa for about 2 years now, is very comfortable taking the minibus taxis, most white South Africans avoid them. My advisor at work said it’s one of the biggest race dividers in South Africa that no whites take the minibus taxis. She said it is because they don’t know how to use them, which makes a lot of sense. They don’t have designated stops except at the end points when someone gets out and yells the destination, usually in Sotho, which most Afrikaners don’t speak. Then to get off the minibus you have to know where you’re getting off and make yourself heard in a stuffed minibus with loud music playing.

A few places I have gone have had a distinct European feeling. The small cars, smoking, gelled hair and fitted men’s clothing especially give this impression. Spiky hair is in fashion. Many Afrikaner women have very layered hair; I have even seen mullets and Mohawks. Striped shirts are also in style, especially horizontal stripes on fitted men’s shirts. I also think everyone here has at least one pair of boots. There were so many boots at the mall and nearly everyone at work wears them everyday.

It’s the winter here and it’s cold!! Last week it was snowing in Cape Town, but luckily Pretoria is quite a bit warmer. It gets pretty warm during the day but the mornings and evenings are freezing—literally. There is no heat in the apartment, so I usually bundle up in 2 fleeces, pants, a hat, smart wool socks and sometimes slippers too then climb under a heavy blanket and comforter to sleep.

Hello Pretoria!

Hi everyone!!

I arrived in Pretoria last Wednesday night after a very long 15+ hour flight! I thought it would be a long flight like flying to Europe, but it was actually like flying to Europe and back. 5 hours into the flight we still had 10 hours to go! but at least it was a direct from Atlanta. I'll be in South Africa for a 10 week internship with the Idasa (pronounced E-dasa), known as the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, more recently referred to as Idasa—An African Democracy Institute since most of its work has expanded to countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Idasa is divided into different programs including Economic Governance, Political Governance, Parliamentary Information and Monitoring, Media and more which are further divided into units and special projects.

I have loved my internship so far. I’m working with the Communications Unit in the Governance and AIDS Program. The Governance and AIDS Program was created recognizing that HIV/AIDS is a major barrier to democracy in Africa. With such a high percentage of the population affected by the virus (nearly 20% in South Africa), there are significant portions of society that are too sick to be active citizens. Moreover, premature death can weaken institutional memory in democratic institutions and force more frequent elections. Increased elections in turn decreases voter turnout and weakens government legitimacy. There are many more interesting connections between democratic governance and AIDS and I look forward to learning more about it through my internship. The one tough part about my job is sitting most of the day. I thought a two hour class was long, but an 8 hour day at a desk :(. I've resorted to frequent coffee breaks!

My work is primarily in the Communications Unit which seeks to promote positive and productive discussion of the epidemic in order to lower stigma and promote active citizenship in fighting the virus. We train journalists and work with politicians, civil society organizations and all sorts of media outlets to increase public dialogue about HIV/AIDS. My first assignment was to create easy-to-understand brochures about the Governance and AIDS program generally and about each of its subunits (local government, communication, human rights and democratization and budget). It was a good way to get an idea of what each unit is working on.

The people in the Governance and AIDS Program (known as GAP) are great! I work most closely with Marietje (Marie-key) and Ayanda who run the Communication Unit. I also work with another intern named Dirkie who just graduated from university here in South Africa. My desk is nicely placed between three offices of speakers of all different languages so I constantly hear Afrikaans, Xhosa and French. There are 5 French speakers in the program and the owners of the nearby internet café are from Gabon so I’ve had a nice opportunity to brush up on my French before fall.

Idasa is an incredibly diverse place. Just in my department of around 15 people there is an Afrikaner, an English South African (everyone speaks English, but he’s of English heritage), an Indian South African, a colored (term used to describe a cultural group and a previous racial category under apartheid of people of mixed race), a woman from Cameroon, one from Burundi and one from the DRC. Idasa has definitely become a continental organization not just in its work but also in its staff.

This week is reflection week at the office, which is one week a year that provides a chance for different programs to get together and discuss goals, the mission statement, ways to better integrate programs etc. It has been a good way to get to know people in different programs. Some of the discussions seem very familiar such as the “What is Democracy?” session while others such as one about “Forming Regional Partnerships” is not one I’ve come across as a student. Today we had a session on media, which was interesting because much of Africa is just beginning to harness social media. The presenter discussed “SurveyMonkey” which made everyone laugh at the name and also caused some people to worry they were out-of-date with current media. One person asked how to stay up-to-date and the Director said “get a teenager in your house.” Another one of my favorite sessions was on the role of traditional government in emerging democracies. Most people believed it had a role to play, but acknowledged its direct contradictions with core democratic values, in particular the belief that all people are born equal. I found it interesting that some of the foreigners working at Idasa choose to work there because they like having the chance to shape government in a new way, a few calling western democracies “sick.”

I’m living in a nice sized apartment with 4 other interns at Idasa—2 from Zimbabwe and 2 from Oregon. On Thursday, both of our Zimbabwean roommates will be leaving to work in Lesotho and Ghana, but soon after there will be a new roommate from Malawi. The apartment is in Sunnyside, which admittedly is not the nicest area of Pretoria. There are high-rise apartment buildings surrounding ours and at night our balcony and windows look into 100 living rooms. Just a couple minute walk from the apartment is a long busy street—Esselen Street—that leads to the Idasa offices.

This past weekend my roommates and I walked to the Union Building, the presidential government building, which is a beautiful building on top of hill with terraced gardens all the way up. It was a great view and we could see all the way across the city to the Voortrekker Monument, which is another popular tourist destination just outside of the city about Boer history. The picture above is of some of my roomates and a couple friends at the Union Building. I’d like to explore the city more, but it’s difficult because I’m constantly racing against the sun (which sets early because it’s the winter, around 5:30) and it’s not safe to walk around at night. Hoewever, we can take taxis after dark. I also found a gym to join close to the apartment, but it’s hard to find time to go during the week because of so little sunlight! I went on Sunday and there is a trainer that walks around. I was doing the leg press and he came up and corrected my form than said “10x4” and watched until I finished all 4 sets—my legs are still aching 2 days later!

Also, the Confederations Cup is going on right now in South Africa, which is a big soccer tournament held every four years, this year with Brazil, Italy, the U.S., Spain, South Africa and more playing. Last night my roommates and I went to a nearby neighborhood called Hatfield and watched the game in an outdoor plaza that kind of reminded me of the grove in LA. It was fun to see a completely different area than Sunnyside and to be around all the excitement from the game. The plaza was jam-packed with people. People were blowing horns, shouting, dancing, singing etc. and everyone stood up to sing the national anthem at the beginning—it was really fun and I wished I had brought my camera!! South Africa played really well against Brazil, but Brazil managed to score at the very end. We met up with some friends of my roommate’s from Equatorial Guinea—the only Spanish speaking country in Africa! I'm amazed by the people I've met from all over the place. The U.S. is actually doing really well in the tournament and most people didn't even think they'd make the cut and Obama is coming to the next game, which is on Sunday.

I’d love to hear how your summer is going!
Avery