Rant About Rihanna (and other pop culture things)

I am sitting on the balcony in the sun reading Tina Fey's "Bossypants" (everyone should read by the way, so funny) and all of the sudden I hear a group of girls across the street singing "Diamonds" by Rihanna. I have maybe heard that song every day since I have been here...Rihanna is huge here and I have had many interesting encounters with her and other popular American music artists during my time here as well.

It all started when we were in South Africa in the township of Kliptown. If you read my earlier post about my time there you know how it was a very emotional and intense experience. As I am walking through this neighborhood stepping over puddles of mud mixed with sewage and through gravel streets I stop by the makeshift bathrooms they have established. Ringing through the neighborhood is "Diamonds" by Rihanna. I can't explain how I felt then. It was strange because I was so intently focused on what was around me and the unfortunate conditions these people were being forced to live in and then there was Rihanna. I don't like Rihanna, I didn't in the US and I don't her here either. It was like two worlds were just colliding and it was extremely strange. We were in some of the worst conditions I have ever seen and it was mixing with American pop culture. It's not really a big deal but I guess you had to be there in the moment to understand how strange it felt.

Then I am with my homestay family in Soweto and the daughter constantly walked around singing Rihanna. One of the reasons I don't like Rihanna much is that some of her songs do not necessarily carry the best messages for young girls and that whole Chris Brown thing (don't get me started). It is unavoidable though because she is everywhere and what can you do I guess.

My other encounter with Rihanna was here in Namibia when some of our group went with some new friends we met here to a park in Katatura, a local township. We were the only white people in the park and in the neighborhood basically. We were all just sitting around chatting and playing frisbee when I noticed that people were forming groups around us and sitting really close just watching us. Now this was a strange feeling as well, probably one I will write another blog on at some point, but that's not the point. There were maybe 20 children who just kept getting closer and closer to us just staring in awe. Some of us went and sat with them and they immediately started singing "Diamonds" by Rihanna. They knew every single word of the whole song and they were actually singing pretty wonderfully. Again, it was two worlds clashing and there was a lot on my mind. I guess it's just strange to me to hear her everywhere, even though I hear her everywhere in the US too.

American pop music is extremely popular here. When I went to visit a school in Soweto in South Africa they split us all up and I was put into a 10th grade classroom filled with boys and girls. I was definitely scared. I walked in and they were all giggling at me and talking to each other in Zulu at their desks. After I sat in on a lesson, the teacher said I could talk to the kids for the rest of class and have them ask me questions. The questions I got asked went something like this:
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"How do you like the US?"
"What celebrities do you know?"
"Do you know Justin Beiber?"
"Do you know Lil' Wayne?'
"Do you know Beyonce?" (I WISH)
"Do you know Rihanna?"
and my personal favorite: "I am going to the US soon, can I get your address and phone number so we can go out?" uhhhh....nice try kid.

But anyways the point was that American music artists are so popular here! All of these kids assumed that since I was from the US I knew Rihanna and various other pop stars. They were very disappointed when I had to break the news to them that I in fact knew no one famous at all. They were shocked. I also lied and told them I liked Rihanna because I was afraid of what would happen if I said I didn't. Most of the time I just switched to talking about Beyonce instead haha

I hear American music everywhere. On the radio, in the malls, down my street, and even in the most downtrodden areas. The whole concept is just really interesting to me and it is crazy how music and pop culture transcends cultural, language, and country boundaries.

This was kind of a random post but it's a Thursday morning and Rihanna keeps playing and there was a lot on my mind! Media is pretty interesting!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week! :)

Arriving in Windhoek!

Before we knew it we were packing up our things and heading back to the airport. It was finally time to go to Namibia! For those of you who know me, you know how long I have waited for this moment. I have been talking about going to Namibia since the beginning of my freshmen year and have had my heart set on this trip for so long. It was a strange and exhilarating moment to finally feel the plane land, look outside, and realize I was finally here. This is real life!

We had to walk off the airplane on the runway and immediately the sun was beating down onto us. I could legitimately feel it just burning onto my arms and I walked along the hard concrete. We went through customs and got our visas which was a little stressful! Grumpy airport workers are no fun. I was the first to make it through though and I was basically jumping for joy. When will it actually hit me that I am living here for the next 4 months?

We loaded our luggage onto our van and were all silent as we gazed out the windows at the amazing scenery around us. I can't even explain how beautiful it was. Miles and miles of just green grass and blue skies and perfect clouds and huge mountains surrounding us as we drove to our house. It started to rain and it just smelled so good. I love the smell of rain and mixed with the fresh air and the trees it was a perfect moment.

Some of my first views of Namibia!

When we arrived at the house we were all giddy with excitement and immediately grabbed our luggage and ran to our rooms. I am living in a room with 4 other girls and we have awesome bunk beds and bright pink sheets (except mine which are an uncomfortable greenish yellow...). Our housing situation is that all 14 of us live in a huge house together. Its about 4 or 5 people to a bedroom and we have a huge living room, dining room, and a kitchen. Outside has a wonderful balcony and also an awesome patio and pool! We are so lucky and I immediately started to feel comfortable in this house. We unpacked and I finally began to feel a little more settled in which I definitely needed. We then took a driving tour around Windhoek which was very interesting. I was still just in awe that we were here and this was real.

The next day we did walking tours in smaller groups and I had the best day ever. My group had an awesome tour where we walked downtown into the craft center district. It was so perfect for me! It was an area of downtown with tons of craft stores and vendors selling hand made and fair trade jewelry and other beautiful crafts and things. I already bought a pair of earrings...whoops! We talked to the local store owners and discovered some places to hang out. We ate lunch at a cute cafe where I got an asparagus quiche and salad, so delicious. We also walked to somewhere called "Fruit and Veg City" which was basically a big grocery store but only with fresh fruits and veggies! They even had a delicious looking pastry shop too in the back so I will definitely be going back there. After the tour I really felt so many good vibes from this place and realized again how excited I really am to be living here. There is so much to see and I can't wait to explore more! The next day we took some tours of Katatura, the old Apartheid township of Windhoek, with a local tour group made up of all teenagers who live in the area. They took us to some of their favorite places around the township and my group visited the local radio station. We learned about some popular Namibian musical artists which I can post later and once I hear more of their music. It was really cool to meet some local people our age and share stories about our lives in different countries.

This morning I slept late and woke up to a quiet house. When a house with 14 people living in it is quiet it's such a strange feeling! I put my laundry in the washer and then took a shower. It is always so hot here you feel disgusting all the time. Showers aren't even worth it really because then you sweat the minute you get out. It is currently 95 degrees outside! Once my laundry was done, I hung it out on the clothes line. There is something so relaxing to me about doing laundry and hanging it on the line on a Sunday morning. For some reason I felt really peaceful then. I sat on the balcony and journaled for a little while eating my breakfast. Once more people came home/woke up we all packed picnic lunches and went down to a local park for our "Community Meeting" and lunch. We meet as a house once a week to discuss any problems we are having or just to hang out. It was a really nice park except for the fact that I got swarmed by bees. It was really unpleasant but I didn't get stung. They were kinda attacking our whole group which wasn't cool but we still had an enjoyable meeting. I really like this group and can't wait to grow closer with them. We played frisbee after until we couldn't take the heat anymore and trudged back home. We do so much walking here and it legitimately kills us because the heat. I got my first bad burn yesterday but have been very careful about sunscreen. I immediately jumped in the pool when we got back and have spent the rest of the day swimming and reading outside. I could definitely get used to this.

Sunday morning laundry

Our wonderful pool that seriously saves me from the heat

Tomorrow we go to our internships which I am super excited and nervous for! I am interning at the Namibian Women's Health Network and will write a post more about then soon too. School is starting now and then maybe I will stop feeling like I'm on vacation...

The Most Beautiful Views

I forgot to write about a couple of things we did on our last day in Johannesburg!

We visited the lovely Freedom Park, a huge park filled with monuments and memorials made to honor all of those people who fought and lost their lives for the freedom of South Africa. There was an incredible Wall of Names inscribed with all of those who died during the eight conflicts in South Africa's history. The park also had the most beautiful views of Pretoria and Johannesburg that I have ever seen.

The group walking through the park

Beautiful views of Pretoria

I could have sat here forever

Only one section of the Wall of Names

After Freedom Park we visited the Voortrekker Monument, a huge monument built to commemorate the pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner, the white people who settled in South Africa. It was definitely interesting to hear the Afrikaner side of the story since we heard so much of the other side but I can't say I agreed at all with the purpose of this monument or most of the points made. It's important to hear every side though! Either way, it made for some amazing views and photos!

Beautiful views of the city of Pretoria

The monument itself was very intimidating and kinda scary...

so much green!

Anneke, a fellow Clarkie, and I at the top of the monument!

I also never talk about how amazing the group of students I get to spend my whole semester with is! We have only known each other for about two weeks and we are already so close! So many people from different backgrounds and universities all coming together to learn and experience this beautiful place together. I know I will write more about them soon!

Here we are at the top of the monument!

A Home in Soweto

When it was first time to get on the van and go to our homestays for the weekend I was a mixture of nervous and excited. I had been feeling extremely homesick and really missing my own family so I figured being with a new family would make it even harder. From the minute I stepped off the van outside of my house for the weekend, I was greeted by two smiling faces, my 11 year old host sister, Mbali, and my 6 year old host brother, Nathi. Mbali smiled as I complimented her cute shoes and she introduced me to her friend as they ran off to the house giggling. Nathi immediately started talking to me about his new remote control helicopter and I don't think he stopped talking from that moment on (the entire weekend). My host mom, Nellie, met me at the gate to the house and immediately offered me food and drinks. My host dad, Vincent, was sitting in the living room and asked me to come sit and talk with him where we discussed his childhood in South Africa and his current job in the South African Police Service. Emily, another student on my program, was also with me for the weekend and we both sat in awe as our host parents talked about their lives growing up in Soweto during Apartheid. We asked questions and they answered anything we wanted and in a matter of hours we had already learned so much.

Our house was an adorable one floor house with three bedrooms, a dining room, a living room, and a kitchen. Nellie always cooked us delicious meals with lots of meat and veggies. We were all mostly sitting in the living room watching cartoons or South African news stations while we exchanged stories about where we were from and what we liked to do. After only a couple of hours being in the house with them, I was beginning to feel so at home and comfortable with my surroundings. I missed my family back in RI so much but it was really nice to have a family here who was always taking care of me and making sure I was as comfortable as possible. The next day I helped my host mom with laundry where she taught me how to wash the clothes by hand and then I hung them up to dry on the line outside. Then our parents surprised us with tickets to the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations, a huge soccer tournament throughout Africa that is being held here in South Africa. It was super exciting! Unfortunately it was raining a lot and lots of people didn't come out for the game but it was still so spirited and enthusiastic. All of the fans who were there were excited and ready to cheer on their team. This place has so much pride in their country and it really makes me so happy. I felt like I was really a part of something amazing as we blew the vuvuzuelas and waved our South African flags in the crowd. It was also the stadium where the final match of the world cup was held so that was awesome too! My host family was so excited to be there as well and it was nice to see everyone so pumped up. My host mom kept saying how important soccer is to the South African culture and she really wanted me to experience that firsthand. I definitely did and I can't thank them enough for taking me!

Emily and I with our host siblings and host mom outside the stadium!

The stadium

Inside the stadium with the players warming up

Jacob Zuma, the current president of South Africa officially opening the games

So glad I got to experience this!                            

The next day was already our last day in Soweto! We went downtown to some shopping centers and looked around and bought some souvenirs. We went to Nelson Mandela Square in the Sandton District and it was super classy. There were a lot of nice restaurants and stores and tons of diversity! I loved seeing all the business people and babies wandering around the square. The super tall bronze Nelson Mandela statue was also pretty fun to look at and take pictures with. At night, my host mom taught us how to cook some traditional African foods such as Pap, something made from maize and kind of like mashed potato consistency and Chakalaka, a carrot, bean, and vegetable dish. I can't wait to try and make some of thee things at home when I get back. We ate with our hands and mixed lots of it together to eat which was really fun and interesting! It's like our whole life we are raised to not play with our food and eat our hands and it is so normal and cultural here! After, some of our neighbors came over and we all drank tea and played cards in the living room. Two of the boys in our group, Jacob and Joe, were actually staying with the family next door so they came over for socializing. The neighborhood is so nice too! They were all so welcoming and neighbors and kids would all come over and talk to us about our lives and always wanted us to ask questions about theirs. It was really cool to exchange stories and feel so welcome by a community I had only been a part of for 2 days.

In the morning we woke up early to send the kids off to school and say goodbye. I was actually really sad to say bye and leave the Phangisa family. They were the sweetest and most accommodating people ever and really made me feel at home at a time when I wasn't so sure about everything here. I know now that I always have a home in South Africa for any adventures in my life where I may find myself back here. I promised them I would come back and I hope someday I get that opportunity to visit this beautiful community again. 

Jacob, Joe, Emily, and I with our host moms and siblings

 

Our wonderful host mom, Nellie!

Mbali and Nathi before they went to school!

Vincent, our great host dad!

So much learning, so little time

Uhhhh...so yeah...about keeping up with writing this blog. SORRY! Our time in Johannesburg was so quick and we did so much that I just never sat down to update you all on what I have been up to.Basically in one word my time in Johannesburg could be described as intense. Almost from the moment we stepped off the plane we began touring the area and learning all about the political and cultural history of South Africa. The thing that continues to amaze me is the incredible amounts of history that is in this area. 

We first arrived at St. Peter's Guest House which was a beautiful place where we got to stay during our time in Johannesburg. They gave us meals and had tea and coffee for us 24/7! 

The outside of St. Peter's. 

My awesome room with bright purple blankets (excuse our messiness and note the Clark sweatshirt)

The beautiful courtyard which was the best for journaling and early morning tea.

We started out our journey with a tour of Soweto, the most populous urban residential area in the country with a huge population of about a million. The township was first created as a home to black laborers who worked in mines and other industries in the city, purposefully located away from the main city center. As segregation was common at this time, the city was designated as home to the whites only. Soweto is actually an acronym for South Western Townships. The current problems of Soweto include poor housing, overcrowding, high unemployment, and poor infrastructure. The Apartheid government did not plan or provide much in terms of infrastructure and only in recent years has the democratic government started movements to better the land and housing. 

View of some of the settlements in Soweto

We visited the Regina Mundi church which is Soweto's largest Catholic church. This church also played a huge role in the township's history of resistance against Apartheid. We also visited the Hector Peterson museum where we got to hear from his sister, Antoinette Sithole, who was there the day of the riot and pictured behind Hector in the famous picture taken during the student riots of June 16, 1976. For those of you who do not know much about South African history, the riots of 1976 were planned by the students to protest the introduction of the language, Afrikaans, in their schools. This language was regarded as the language of the oppressor and black Africans did not want it taught as their primary school language. The riots and student uprising of 1976 accelerated the demands of the public against the Apartheid government. The museum walked us through the riots and also all of those who lost their lives during this time. It was extremely moving and powerful. After that we visited Nelson Mandela's house where he moved in 1946 with his first wife. He didn't spend too much time there because of his role in the struggle for freedom where he mostly lived a life on the run. It was an adorable little house and Mandela spent some time here as well after his release from prison in 1962. 

A room inside of Mandela's house. "It was the opposite of grand, but it was my first true home of my own and I was mightily proud."-Nelson Mandela

We did all of those things I just talked about in one day too! ONE day! We had the busiest schedules so packed with places to go and speakers to listen to but it was all so worth it. I learned an incredible amount about the history of these areas and this place is truly beautiful.

One of the places we visited that really stuck out to me was when we visited Kliptown, a suburb of Soweto in Gauteng, South Africa. Kliptown is the oldest residential district of Soweto and was first home to informal settlements, or squatter camps. The area now contains a mix of housing including a large number of broken down shacks lacking basic needs such as water, electricity, and proper building structures. We walked through these areas and at first I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding. It seemed strange to just browse the neighborhood and look at the poor conditions these people were living in. The residents were actually extremely welcoming though and talked to us as we walked through. They told me about how the South African government promised them they would fix their houses and provide better water systems but they have done nothing. I know there isn't much I could do as an American but the residents said they wanted us to write to the South African government as well and tell them about what we saw and why they need better places to live. It was a really intense and emotional experience and was the most challenging of my trip so far. Being an International Development major, you read about places like this all the time and people who are struggling to get through everyday life but seeing it in person and being there and walking around was really intense. I wasn't sure how to feel or what to do or anything really. It was like all of my classes at Clark just culminated into that one moment when I was standing in the middle of a neighborhood next to stray dogs, small children running around with no shoes, unclean water in puddles everywhere, and the smell of outhouses and improper toilet systems filling the air around me. It was incredibly emotional and I had trouble breaking down how I was feeling afterwards. I still think about that day so much and it really exemplifies the major divide between the classes that exists in South Africa.

The next day we visited two of the political parties that exist here in South Africa. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the governing party of the Western Cape province and is the official opposition to the ruling party, the African National Congress. The DA's vision is to "imagine a society in which even a child born into the most desperate poverty can become a brain surgeon, a concert pianist, or a sports hero." Uhh...yeah that sounds all well and good but I found that our meeting was very uneventful and wouldn't we all love that?! Next we met with the African National Congress (ANC) which is the current ruling party and the main players in the liberation movement. For nine decades, the ANC has led the struggle against racism and oppression, organizing mass resistance, mobilizing the international community and taking up the armed struggle against apartheid. It was interesting to hear from them as well because they are so highly valued throughout South African society because of their role during the Apartheid times but now many people's views of them have changed. The public has been less supportive of their policies because they do not always listen to the public and many peoples basic needs are not being met. I saw this firsthand when 

walking through Kliptown and it definitely made me more critical of the ANC and their policies. After visiting these two political parties I realized that politics here are like politics anywhere else...you ask a lot of questions and nothing really gets answered. 

We also went to Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) which is a major HIV/AIDS organization in South Africa. I was extremely excited about this because of my love for learning about HIV and the global policies surrounding it. I was even more excited because just by coincidence, last semester in Cultural Anthropology we were asked to research an organization about anything we were interested in. I just googled "HIV/AIDS organizations in South Africa" and TAC popped up first so I decided to write about it. Little did I know, I would be visiting the organization just a couple months later! Nice to see my school work back at Clark actually connecting to something in the real world. TAC is a super awesome organization that campaigns for equitable access to affordable treatment for all people living with HIV/AIDS and also supports efforts to prevent and eliminate all new HIV infections. They run different support group and education efforts around South Africa in both the rural and urban areas helping to educate the public about HIV and reduce the social stigma that sometimes surrounds the disease. I have also written lots of papers at Clark about stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV and how this can sometimes deter people from getting proper treatment and to hear firsthand from someone who is HIV positive about their experience with the social and cultural stigmas was really powerful. The things I am reading in books are true and getting to learn about them firsthand is so much more beneficial than any 10 page paper I have stayed up until 4 am writing.

This was only our first couple of days in South Africa! We did so much but it was all so amazing and educational. I am breaking up my blog about Johannesburg into like three different entries because I got overwhelmed! Read the next entry to learn about my homestay with a family in Soweto and the end of my time in good ol' Jo'burg!

A view of Johannesburg from our bus

New Beginnings

Well.....I AM HERE!
I have waited for this moment for so incredibly long and I just cannot fully grasp the fact that I am in Johannesburg, South Africa...this is real!

It is currently 5:30 AM here and I am awake. I got lots of sleep though which was nice. Waking up and hearing birds chirping and listening to the breeze outside my window was so beautiful. Then laying in bed and realizing that I wasn't in the United States was super strange. I honestly can't describe my feelings at the moment. Meeting everyone from my group was really awesome. Everyone is super nice and comes from such interesting backgrounds. We have only been here less than a day and I have learned so much already. I am excited to learn more about everyone and share this wonderful experience together.

Today our plans are learning more about the liberation struggle in South Africa. We will travel to Soweto and get to see lots of historic places such as the Mandela house. I am sooo ready to explore and learn about new and exciting places.

I can't help but have another thing on my mind as well though. As many of you know, my Papa passed away the night before I left. I know he is in a better place and it was a relatively peaceful death. I just feel like I lost an incredibly important part of my life and realizing that is really difficult. Especially when you can't be with your family at such a tough time like this. I know my Papa didn't really understand why I was going to Africa or why I didn't want to just be a doctor but I know he is looking down on me and I hope I am making him proud. You were an amazing man who lived a wonderful 85 years and we are all thinking of you.  Love you Papa, your memories will never be forgotten

Here's to new beginnings and new adventures!