Township time

Township---Eesti keeles lihtsalt kyla.(otsene tolge oleks kyll kyla-laev)

Kahjuks ei ole mul hetkel paremaid pilte townshipidest Louna Aafrikas, kuna see on vaesete kohalike kylad, kuhu sa ei taha tingimata omapead minna.

Kylad asuvad suurlinnade lahedal, kus yks elamu on praktiliselt teise otsas. Majad on ehitatud papist, plekist, puidust, koikvoimalikest asjadest mis vahegi voimalik. Osadel on isegi elekter olemas, kust siis kogu ylejaanud kyla ka omale juhtmed tombab. Meie grupi juht raakis uhkusega kuidas neile 1994 a. opetati kuidas prygikasti kasutada, nii et nyyd nad teavad, et mitte oma paska koikjale porandale visata.

Me lootsime kyll kylastada kylakest kui heategevusega, kuid vaid yheks paevaks ei olnud seda voimalik teha. Teine varjant oli minna ekskursiooniga, kus sind pannakse bussi ja siis saad labi akna pilte teha kui sealt labi soidad. Kuid see oli meile vastuvotmatu varjant, kuna ma ei tahtnud olla situatsioonis, kus ma kohalikest kui looma aias pildistades mooda soidan.

Me leidsime aga endale sobiva varjandi, kus meid voeti hostelist peale, viidi townsipi kohalikku paari, kus me nendega koos moned tunnid veetsime. (Yritus laks maksma 225 ran'i inimese kohta. $1=umbes 7 ran'i). Meile valmistati 5-6 erinevat kohalikku rooga, mis 0lid tohutult maitsvad. Noored kohalikud poisid naitasid ja opetasid meile oma tanava tantsu oskuseid. Meile esines kohalik meeste koor(kift aafrika momin, ostsime neilt ka cd-80 rani). Ja inimesed olid lihtsalt vorratud, toredad ja lahked. Kahju et aeg nii ruttu otsa sai. Enne kui meid koju viidi kusisid poisid luba tulla meid saatma. Loomulikult ei olnud meil selle vastu midagi ja see andis meile voimaluse nendega vahe suhelda. Kui me pussist maha ronisime, oli neil juba moned eesti keelsed laused selged, ja nad karjusid meile takka, Head ood . Ma armastan sind!

So there will be a running theme for this blog that most articles will be published in both Estonian and English. Be sure to scroll around the blog regularly so you don't miss any of the exciting updates!

The other night Ingrid and I visited the townships surrounding Cape Town. Rather than take the bus tour and drive through the townships snapping pictures of the residents, we hired locals to take us into a shebeen (township bar) and spent the night dining and dancing with the people. As expected, it was quite a cultural experience.

Despite living in squalor, the people of the townships demonstrate an incredible zeal for life. It's easy to understand why singing and dancing plays such an important role in the lives of these people, as they have literally nothing else.

Most of the inhabitants of the townships are farmers and country folk who have moved to the cities in search of a better life. While the townships seem appalling to outsiders, many describe them as a necessary step in pursuit of a goal and there is some serious optimism within the youth. I met an 18 year old boy who's in 9th grade and hopes to become a Chemical Engineer one day. Can't recall too many American 9th graders that want to become ChemE's.

I'll withold additional, personal perspectives on the townships because I'm sure it's a unique experience for everyone. But I will advise anyone visiting South Africa to be sure and make a visit while you're here.