Best Place to Eat: Mzoli's

Ok so I have officially named Mzoli's the best place to eat in CapeTown. Reminds me of a back yard barbecue!! It's simply a butchery in Gugelethu where you walk in select your meat and take it to the grill to be cooked with a special sauce. Beef, chicken, sausage all cooked In a special Mzoli sauce that will leave you speechless after you partake. It's a hangout spot, a patio, and it's BYOB or you can check out the beverages from a nearby mart. Your meat is brought on a tray, and well you simply just reach in and start to pig out!!!!! I've never eaten so much meat in my life! It was finger licking good. It's really a special place and has attracted tourist from all over!!!!

Video of the Baphumelele Babies

So today I decided to capture some footage of my little ones and all the energy I deal with daily!  Soyoma was sleeping and Lithumba is in the hospital so all the little ones were up and ready to go when I arrived around 8:55am.  Typically when I enter the baby house I have to hug and kiss each baby!  What you don't see in this first video is Annalisawae kicking me because I failed to give her all the attention!!!!

The little ones that can't walk still know how to demand my attention.  Babalawae which is the little cutie sucking her fingers will cry until I pick her up.  The baby house mothers say I spoiled her...  It's my fault :-)

A really good thing about the orphanage is that their is a bakery that feeds the worker and people in the community daily for R6 a plate.  The food is pretty good!!!!  But most importantly I go to buy scones!!!!!  R1.50 a piece.  They have the best butter biscuits, baked from scratch, that I've ever tasted!  The bakery is on the other side of the street next to the Educare center, so I thought I would get a little footage of the surrounding area on my walk back to the baby room.  

Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa

On my ride to Khayelitsha the other day, I found myself tuned in to the morning news report, where teenage pregnancy was the topic.  The statistics were almost near unbelievable for 2010.  45,200 pregnancies and the girls' ages ranged from 9 to 16!  Pregnancy begins as early as the 3rd grade!  This means that a child could begin her menstrual cycle as early as 8 years of age.  2,200 of the pregnancies in South Africa were reported by small girls who were only 9 years old.  The reporter then goes on to say that majority of these girls were more than likely raped by a boyfriend,  family friend or an uncle. The lack of parental support is another major concern among these young girls.  Just as a point of reference, there were 410,000 births in the US to moms under the age of 18.  This is from a country who reported 308,000,000 in population in 2010 vs. a country who reported only 51 million in population the same year.  Regardless of what the statistics say, this is very disturbing.  I think back to my childhood and at the age of 12 I was just beginning to pack away Barbie and Ken.  Although I thought I was near grown and loved to baby sit and be independent, I could not fathom what motherhood would mean at such a young age.  Nor could I fathom being forced to have sex and loosing something so precious because no one was there to protect me.  A child is just that, a child!  It is up to us to protect them, and make wise choices that will in turn prevent harm from coming their way and to educate them as soon as possible so that they understand what's right and what's wrong.

She called me Colored!!!!!!

Yes!  That's what I said!  She took one look and assumed me to be a coloured!  I was taken aback, because I’m sorry but in the US you don’t refer to anyone as coloured because of the era that the word was tied too!!!!  A time where because of the color of your skin, you were treated very differently.  But many don’t agree, saying it’s a much more descriptive word and sounds better than referring to one as black.  Well to South Africans the word coloured means something totally different.....

Coloured,  Well actually in South Africa it is spelled Coloured.  Coloured represents one of the four racial categories in which one could classify themselves in South Africa.  Coloured, Black African, White or Indian.  According to the 2010 census, Coloureds only make up 9% of the population while Bantu make up 79%.  Confused??????   During the apartheid era, in order to keep divisions and maintain a race-focused society, the government used the term Coloured to describe one of the four main racial groups identified by law: (All four terms were capitalised in apartheid-era law.) Well Coloureds here in South Africa refers to fair-skinned heterogeneous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Saint Helena. 

Bantu, also known as Black African, is used as a general label for 300-600 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages, distributed from Cameroon east across Central Africa and Eastern Africa to Southern Africa. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages.

The Bantu family is fragmented into hundreds of individual groups, none of them larger than a few million people (the largest being the Zulu with some 10 million). The Bantu language Swahili with its 5-10 million native speakers is of super-regional importance as tens of millions fluently command it as a second language.

And just like the US, South Africa is pretty segregated.  One area full of coloureds, another area full of blacks and this area holds majority of the whites.  Times have changed, but what about the people?

Soccer Vs. American Football

Hello Family and Friends!

Today I attended my first football match here is South Africa at the Cape Town Stadium.  Not much of a soccer fan, I couldn't wait to attend to see what all the hype was about.  I attended the Under 20 world Tournament where the competing teams were Kenya and Japan.  This is game 1 of 3 in which the teams are after points and wins to advance to the next round.  Why I certainly saw way more floppers in this game than what we have in the NBA!!!!  Soccer is to many other countries, what football is to the United States....  Can't live without it :-) Check out a few of the pictures and video snippets from game day.

Go Kenya

Japan

Pre Game Interview

A Real Focused Fan

Japan Wins

Just Because

Twende Kenya!!!!!!!

Precious loves bands!!!!! lol!!!

The Babies of Baphumelele Part 2

Ok so I have a new baby that is part of my more advanced group!  Her name is Chisom, and she too already calls me mom.  The kids are starting to get a little rowdy, Annalisewe is pinching and biting and so is Ignako!  They punch each other, close line one another, throw things and Annalisewe has become a bit of a bully!  She takes all the kids toys!  I had to put her in time out three times last week.  Now you know I would add a little fire to that butt if she came home with me!!!!!!  Time out just doesn't cut it all the time.  I kiss on them all the time and now the youngest babies are completely spoiled!  They cry until I pick them up...Melane and Somaya are cute as little buttons!

So here is my what My day looks like:

It takes about 1 1/2 hr for me to get to the orphanage because we pick up other volunteers and drop them off in different townships.  I'm the first one to be picked up and the last to be dropped off!  I normally arrive around 8:30 and as soon as I walk in the door they run and crawl my way.  I hug and kiss each of them.  They are my babies too.  I then find each of their socks and shoes and put them on their feet and new sweaters if they need them.  Next is reading time....  I get each of them a book and even-though they can't read at such a young age it get's them into the habit of picking up a book.  They actually will sit most of the time individually and flip through the pages.  I walk around and read snippets from each book.  I push for 15 min!!!!!  Sometimes it works.  Next we prepare for a walk outside, in the gated area of course.  In between time I'm singing Barney, Good morning, The itsy bitsy spider, and every song I can think of to keep their minds occupied.  We head outside for about an hour and play and try to get exercise, have a snack and sing some more.  Noon is lunch time where I have to set up and lead the children in a version of Thank you father! Most of them eat on their own.....not too bad for babies under the age of three.  In the mean time I'm feeding my smaller babies porridge and bottles.  After lunch, to the toilet they go and then I put each one to bed for a nap.  They typically sleep from 12:45 to 3:00 pm in which I wash dishes, scrub the floor, re organize, fold clothing and etc.  The smaller babies awake first and I feed them then wake up the older babies and give them love.  Then it's counting in English and Xhosa and learning Body parts in English and Xhosa!  Singing and Marching until I leave around 4pm and back to my flat by 5pm exhausted!

Chisom

Othelembe

Oneika

Melane

Soyama

Grocery Shopping in Cape Town

Now let me tell you, this is not an easy task for someone who very seldom cooks!  Back home, I go in and get the basic survival items such as bread, water, occasionally milk, fruit punch, cheese puffs and easy bake chocolate chip cookies.  I was floored when I made my first visit to a nearby food mart!  I actually have to buy food.....Fruit, vegetables and meat all in brands in which I had no clue if they were generic or branded.  So Let's start with the basics.....Today's rate:  Per every 1 USD I spend it is equivalent to $8.34 ZAR/ South African Rand.  This thoroughly upsets me because this number fluctuates quite often and very seldom will you get anywhere near the going rate!!!!!  I only received $7.63 Rand per USD I converted.


Not able to escape my past life of competitive shopping on the housewares front, I did a little comp shop of my own and rated each store on the following:  Selection, Cleanliness, Price, Hours of Operation and Type of shopper.  Each store is within 5 Kilometers of my current location which makes these stores perfect for a quick R20 or R30 cab ride!  

SHOPRITE

Selection-(7)

Cleanliness-(6)

Price-(9)

Hours of Operation- (6)

Type of Shopper-RUDE (5)

Typically when I visit the Shop Rite it's a trip that leaves me in a really bad mood!  Kinda like going to the DMV!  The lines are long like you would not believe, people constantly bump into you and then talk about you in their native language.  ShopRite is considered to be just the right price for the budgeting family.  I rated a 7 on selection because you cannot buy regular orange juice in ShopRite.  Like most food marts here in SA all the juices are WACK!  Mango, Nectar, 40% orange and other juices!  WTH!!!!!  And just what other juices make up the 60% of orange juice I have been robbed of!!!!  Now there is one thing that I just love here and can only get at ShopRite... A 250g bag of Snowflake Flapjack easy-mix!  Only R10.99!!!  I love it! Add a little of the ILLovo Maple Syrup and I am set for breakfast.  Just keep in mind the hours of operation can be a bit difficult for those working business people who work long hours!  The store closes at 7pm Monday-Thursday, 6pm on Friday and 5pm on Saturday.  Not to mention in just about every store you pay for bags!!!!  R0.39

Pick N Pay

Selection-(9)

Cleanliness-(8)

Price-(7)

Hours of Operation- (7)

Type of Shopper-RUDE (7)

My first visit to Pick N Pay came as a result of running to a near by ShopRite to pick up some missing ingredients for dinner one night.  ShopRite was closed, but Pick and Pay awaits!  What a selection!!!!  They had everything! heck I even brought tweezers for my eyebrows.  I got a bag of snickers too!  Trust me the only candy I've been able to find that I remotely crave in the states was a kit kat so I was quite pleased!  I got a onion for R0.99 which is awesome, but honestly I don't remember if the selections were priced right or not.  I was rushed and told that the store closed at 7pm and I need to get to the front asap.  Well as far as the Type of shopper It's only 1 step up from ShopRite because  I had the worst cashier ever....She was rude and had her lips turned up the whole time!  About that onion that was only R0.99, well I get to the counter and had forgotten to weigh the onion.  The cashier looks at me and said you can't buy this onion because you didn't weigh it!  Well can you just charge me something because I really need my onion.  She rolled her eyes and yelled for her manager who was so kind to go and weigh the onion for me.  Oh it was far from over!  The register tape got hung and she cursed everyone out around her because apparently it was their fault not hers!  Ugh a little customer service would have made my experience a lot better.

Woolworths

Selection-(8)

Cleanliness-(9)

Price-(6)

Hours of Operation- (7)

Type of Shopper- (8)

100% orange juice!!!!  I can buy this at Woolworth's no problem.  So you are wondering why this looks like a dept store.  Well it is, but they also have a food mart.  Not quite uppity, but it's a pretty decent atmosphere with some pretty good selections.  The other thing I love about Woolworth's is the fact that I can re up my pre-paid cell phone while purchasing groceries and they have really good NesCafe White Chocolate Coffee for R49.95.  Very expensive!!!!!  My orange juice was the size of a jungle juice and it was R11.95!  I had to buy 6 of them!!!!  I paid R44.95 for a bag of scones, or what we refer to as biscuits!  R37.49 for 500g of lean beef mince, R34.95 for a pack of 8 tortilla!  Yes that's right, around $4.60 USD!!!!  Too expensive and yet I continue to go back!!!!!  My total bill for the evening was R776.67 which included a 14% Vat tax.

Fruit  & Veg City

Selection-(9)

Cleanliness-(9)

Price-(8)

Hours of Operation- (7)

Type of Shopper- (9)

I call Fruit & Veg City the Whole Foods of Cape Town!  It gives me the same feel and the shoppers are very pleasant and depending upon the day I shop they can be rather snobbish!  Being snobby is not bad as long as you stay in your lane.....Store hours are pretty much in line with the other stores.  Closing around 6pm....Now here are the perks to shopping at Fruit and Veg City:  They have a candy station, nut & berry station, bakery, hot bar, smoothie bar, fruit bar and sandwich bar.  The selection is not that great because it focuses on fruits and Veggies, but the added stations certainly puts Fruit and Veg city in the top running position for shopping.  Their are certain things that I typically buy here and they consist of my favorite Kettle Fried Salt N Vinegar Flavored chips for R14.99, 18ct Golden Yolk Extra Large Eggs for R19.99, Sasko white bread for R9.99, Joostenberg Bacon R21.53 and all types of fruits and veggies such as baby carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bananas, kiwi, oranges pineapple all under R12.99!!!!!!  I certainly love the fresh muffins at R7.99 a piece as well as the banana loaf bread for only R12.99.

All of that shopping and I was ready for dinner!!!!!  Look at what this no cooking sister can do!  It was excellent....  Chicken Mushroom Breast and Italian Pasta salad with a light Chardonnay :)  

Protesting In Cape Town

Excuse the background commentary as I found it rather exciting that a group of young students would pick my street, Buitenkant St., as a pass through to Parliament!  I heard loud chants and it scared me to near death, but as I approached the window it was certainly innocent!

I Got Beat By a Kenyan

Yesterday was a really good day!  Off from the orphanage, so I spent some time enjoying what Cape town has to offer!  The day started with a visit to the Grand West Casino where I attempted ice skating and nailed it by completing my first double axle.  NOT......Had a wonderful lunch at Silver Dollar, which was in the Casino.  Quesidillas, chicken wings, chicken burger and a order of chips!!!!!  Hey, Don't judge......It takes a lot of energy to skate.  Next it was to the slot machines where I managed to lose and to win and decided to cut my loss at R100.  Next it was to the VA waterfront for some sushi and cheesecake then to see Battleship!  There was something a bit more interesting that happened on yesterday.  Upon leaving the Casino I attempted to race a Kenyan!!!!  On your march, get ready, get set, go.......  Off shot the Kenyan before I even set my feet.  It's true, they really are fast.  I interviewed the gentleman because I just didn't get it......He finished before I started!  "What's the key to your winning?, I asked", "Well the key is that Kenya is at a higher altitude which makes running in a low altitude country that much easier!  Oh yes and it helps to race out of shape people too!  You will win every time".  I was speechless!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Sitting here thinking it's Day 21 already!  3 weeks.....  And I am adjusting nicely :)  Today I took a stroll out to the Beach to enjoy the beautiful ocean waves, had a nice lunch and some very interesting conversation.  Wondering just how much you know about the world we live in today?  I must admit I have learned more about other countries within the last three weeks than I have known my whole life.  It amazes me that I meet people everyday who are interested in the world as a whole and not solely on the affairs of their own country.  I'm guilty of being boxed in, are you????!!!  What will you do about it?  Well I'm starting by learning another language.  It is called Xhosa and is the hardest South African Language to speak, however is the most widely spoken language in the Cape.  It's a sign of respect when you can communicate with one so that they may understand, but it also opens you up to a whole new world. Look at how many countries speak English!!!!!

Well back to the language!  It's hard!  We are already, after the third class, studying nouns and verbs as well as making sentences.  Little ole bilingual me....  German & Xhosa...He He! Ndifunda Isi Xhosa!

Khayelitsha

Today Khayelitsha has an estimated population of 406,779 (as of 2005^[update])^[8], and runs for a number of kilometres along the N2. The ethnic makeup of Khayelitsha is approximately 90.5% Black African, 8.5% Coloured and 0.5% White, with Xhosa being the predominant language of the residents.^[9][10] Khayelitsha has a very young population. Fewer than 7% of its residents are over 50 years old and over 40% of its residents are under 19 years of age. About 75% of residents consider themselves Christian while about 20% follow traditional beliefs and a negligible amount consider themselves Muslim.^[11].

The discrimination and black population control by the apartheid regime did not prevent blacks from settling in the outskirts of Cape Town. After the scrapping of pass laws in 1987 many blacks, mainly Xhosas, moved into areas around Cape Town in search of work. By this time many blacks were already illegally settled in townships like Nyanga and Crossroads. As the black population grew, the apartheid regime sought to solve the "problem" by establishing new black neighbourhoods. Khayelitsha was established in 1985 and large numbers of people were forcefully relocated there^[5], mostly peacefully,^[6] but occasionally accompanied with violence.^[7]

Khayelitsha is the home of Baphumelele!  One of the most dangerous and largest township in the Cape!  Around 70% of residents still live in shacks and one in three people has to walk 200 meters or further to access water.  Everyday that I travel to the orphanage I'm reminded that there are still people in life who fight everyday just to have the basic necessities of life.  Water, food and shelter...  Here in South Africa, although a very beautiful country, you are reminded daily that there are people who are worse off than you.  In the U.S we can hide ourselves in our neighborhoods and forget that our brother and sisters are hurting.  Here in Cape Town low class, middle class and upper class all live together.  You have no choice, but to remain humble!

The Babies of Baphumelele

Babalawae

Penny

Annalisawae, Annela, Ignako, Zithembe

Mali, Moweski, Annalisawae

These are the oldest kids of Baphumelele Baby Room!  Patrick is missing from this photo because he was adopted on last week.  Annalisawae is the smartest.....She speaks good English and Xhosa, however sometimes she acts as if she doesn't understand.  Mali was one of my favorite babies on my first day at the orphanage.  She is really quiet!!!!!  Zithembe is a runner.  I took six kids out for a midday walk and she took off torwards the gate.  When she ran they all ran!  Boy did I look incompetent.  I was screaming Panzi, Shelepanzi, Stop, get over here, No, Hyai!!!!!!!  Arrrrg!  Between dressing, feeding, cleaning and singing Barney's "I love you"  These kids wear me down!  If I could take two home with me, It would be Ignako well since he already calls me momma and Babalawae...  I love that Baby girl.  My other babies are sleeping!  Lithombo, Somya, Othemble, oh and two more I just haven't learned their names.  I need to know the names of the babes whom I'm constantly yelling at....All in love.  So cute...Penny now sings Barney.  She just hums it, but jeepers I literally sing it 15 time aday at minimum!  Oh and I taught the kids ring around the roses!!!!  They love it.  Next week we will count, learn the days of the week and body parts!  All in Xhosa :-)

I do not understand!!!

I never knew how hard it would be to understand my own language, but with all of the different African dialects here in capetown I have managed to say, "I do not understand" 28 times in the last two days. Oh yes I am counting. Today I volunteered at Baphumelele....The drive into Khaylitsha was very interesting, but thank God I'm in and out safely. I worked in the baby center today with 15 kids under the age of 2. We took a field trip to the play center in town and well that was way too interesting!!! One of the kids.... Rosalee speaks very good Xhosa to be 2 years of age to the point where I had to ask her to please speak English! Rosalee.... I do not understand. Each child has its very own story! I didnt get the opportunity to learn the stories today, but one little one who goes by the name of "Monkey" is the product of a mother who smoked a drug called ticker, up until the day he was born. A child is so innocent and not once asked to be born! He sure did have a lot of energy.....I barley had a chance to learn all the names of the children. Baphumelele is a campus so to speak..... Respite center for the older kids and for the babies. Housing for 160 kids all behind shards of metal, wire and steel! I was informed to never leave the gate! This area is not safe. Not once did fear overtake me!!! I hurried off at 4:30 to try to get back in town for my first Xhosa class. The teacher doesn't like me...., my Xhosa is not so good. It was a hour and a half of me making a complete fool of myself. Unjani? Ungubani igama lakho? My teacher asked, I replied..... I do not understand!

Welcome

Ok ok! Sorry it has taken so long for me to update the blog. It's hard to believe I have been in SA a week already! I start volunteering at buphmelele on Thursday and I start my Xhosa class on Thursday too! I'm excited! The 5rand taxi is now 6rand....it's like a mini van that goes all over capetown and were packed in like sardines. Now that is when I use my Xhosa....I'm not that bad actually. Yesterday I had lunch at the Terior at the Klein Zalze wine farm. Fabulous indeed! Check it out: Check out the children's orphanage too